


Outlast: Pinky Promise

by 80_Kegs85



Series: Outlast Promise [1]
Category: Outlast (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Exploitation, F/M, Falling In Love, Gen, M/M, Molestation, Multi, Mutilation, Rape/Non-con Elements, Survival Horror, Threesome - F/M/Other, Undercover Missions, Victim Blaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:22:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 87,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25129993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/80_Kegs85/pseuds/80_Kegs85
Summary: It was the number 1 rule.Don't get involved or interfere. Just get pictures, get the story, do not be a hero. Don't get caught.She broke the rules and now she was suffering for it. And now, she's trapped in Mount Massive Asylum, trying to find any means of escape.
Relationships: Chris Walker/Original Character(s), Eddie Gluskin/Original Female Character(s), Jeremy Blaire/Original Character(s), Richard Trager/Original Character(s), The Twins (Outlast)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Outlast Promise [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878577
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	1. Intro

It was the number 1 rule. 

Don't get involved or interfere. Just get pictures, get the story, do not get caught. And most importantly of all, don't be a hero, no matter how horrifying a situation is. No matter how you felt about something happening in front of your very eyes. 

No matter how bad you felt for the victims. No matter if you wanted to help someone in trouble. 

It didn't matter what was happening. 

It didn't matter if these monsters were torturing other lives or destroying them. 

Never try and be a hero.

It was something that even her brother tried pounding into her head in the years that they worked together to bring the truth out from high risk and security systems. The companies with the most top secret agendas or highly sophisticated propaganda always had a secret. And they spent years trying to dig through those secrets to expose them. 

Especially after his six year employment of this wretched company. He had seen things, heard things and done things that no one would ever believe possible and he escaped barely with his own life. 

And now she was involved, going into business with him to expose the truth about Murkoff Psychiatric Systems. 

She wasn't even the one that was supposed to go but she had spent weeks, begging her brother to let her be the one to get in, get the scoop and get out before anyone even noticed her there.

Problem was.......

She broke the rules and now she was suffering for it. 

She had tried so hard not to do it. She had tried so hard to stifle the itch of helping them. She had become a shaken mess while in hiding as she snapped the pictures and recorded the evidence she had heard and saw in this monstrous place. 

But to hear a full grown man, criminally insane or not, break down like a terrified child and beg and scream for help that wouldn't come from anyone in that massive dark room, she couldn't help herself. 

She had to try and play hero.

And now, Ashton Peacock was trapped in Mount Massive Asylum, trying to find any means of escape. She was trapped, tortured, assaulted and being chased by not only the guards but the inmates.

How in the hell did it come to this? 

Running down dark but bloody halls, the air filled with insane screams and the sounds of flesh being literally ripped from bones. Covered in blood that was her own and not her own, with wounds inside and out. 

Her heart pounding in terror as she ran as fast as she could, despite how bad her body ached. 

She could only run from the men behind her screaming, "Darling!" and even "Little Pig!"

She just had to try and be the hero, didn't she?


	2. Before the Massacre

"Do you have everything?" 

"Yes, Simon. I made sure I packed everything." 

"Flash lights? Glow sticks?" 

"Check and check." 

"Mace?" 

"God, yes! I have flash lights, matches, glow sticks, batteries, my chargers, everything. I have my cans of mace and my knives! I'm not an amateur, bro!" 

There was a loud scowl and she knew she was pushing buttons that should not be pushed with him. 

"Yes, you are an amateur and you've never been in a place that is enclosed like this, Ashton! Do not give me lip or you can turn your arse right around and we will send someone else!" Her older brother snapped at her through her cell phone. 

Ashton Peacock grimaced as she jerked her phone away from her ear from her brother's shout before sighing as she kept her eyes forward on the darkened road before her. "Simon, I wish you had more faith in me. You did teach me the ropes, by the way. I know the rules by heart and I've done good in the past. Remember Pennsylvania Penne?" 

There was a grumble. 

"Ash, this is not like the Penne. This is Mount Massive, we are talking about. Do you not remember what I said about that place?" Simon asked her seriously. 

Ash sighed again as she drove down the back country road, her eyes flicking back and forth as she went. "Yes, I do, Simon. I remember all of the horror stories and what you said. It's why I'm making it my duty to fuck up Murkoff as much as possible. After everything they put you through, I want to destroy them." She told him.

"You need to be careful when dealing with them, Ash. They are very dangerous. It is very difficult to get out of there when dealing with these people. No one goes into their facilities and comes out alive." Simon said warily. 

Ash had to hold back her comment. She really wanted to say that he got out. But she knew what his reply would have been. She knew that while Simon came out of that dreadful place, he did not come out whole. He had lost some things when escaping Murkoff. 

A part of it might have been some of his sanity. He had gone in one person and now he was someone else than she remembered. 

Her older brother, Simon Peacock was not the same cheerful, goofball as she grew up with. He hardly ever smiled any more. Even when she cracked some of her lame jokes that he used to love. 

Now.....he was cold, almost heartless, and unforgiving. 

He didn't show emotions anymore. He didn't joke around. He didn't even try to make her laugh anymore. 

The stories that he had told her, however, she couldn't blame him. He didn't her everything but he told her enough to add two and two together. 

Murkoff had destroyed her brother and it took years of therapy of getting to where he was now. 

So no.

She didn't blame him for being so paranoid about her going back into the place he escaped from. She didn't need him to say it. She knew he didn't even want her going in. 

But she had nagged at him for weeks when they came up with the plans of taking down Murkoff. She had nagged and begged until he was on the brink of rage and defeat. 

And it was only because she promised to follow his rules. 

To not be the hero.

He made her swear not to jeopardize her own life or the mission. Mostly her life. Only then did he relapse and let her take this mission of uncovering evidence of the illegal practices of Murkoff Psychiatric Systems and to reveal what thwy really were. 

Monsters. 

Sick, mother fucking monsters who tortured and murdered worse than the monsters they collected for the sake of science. 

The inmates of Mount Massive might have been the criminally insane but they were being tortured worse than they did to their victims. There were rapists and murderers there. There were broken people with bended and twisted minds. 

Some of them probably deserved being in Mount Massive but it was not for Murkoff to say that. Somenof these people just needed help because of things done to them in their lives that it reflected off of them onto other people. 

Simon believed that most of the inmates just needed to die but not in the way that they doing right now. 

Ash believed there was still some shred of humanity in the patients and they just needed severe therapy to help them find their minds again

The conflicts between brother and sister were different from one another. They had had fights about who was wrong and who was right. But they shared the same opinion about Murkoff. 

Murkoff was an evil that needed to be exposed. An evil more worse than the patients of Mount Massive. And they needed to be taken down. 

That was why they joined the top secret conspiracy theorists in independent news. 

VIRALeaks paid them very good and they shared the same ideas as the independent but secret journalists from around the world. People who didn't believe that some secrets should be kept from the world. 

And Murkoff was one of them. 

That's what Ash was. 

She was an independent journalist for VIRALeaks and even did some undercover work for them. She had been taught by Simon and she was good. He was better but she was good at getting the stories. 

At age 35, Ash did not look her age. She had convinced plenty of people that she was still in her 20's and it wasn't hard to believe that. She still kind of looked like a young adult. She was still young and quite a good looking gal. 

Pretty faced, easy to underestimate, her hair was golden blonde with cinnamon streaks running from roots to tips and ended at the top of her chest, she even had eyes that some men could look into and get lost in. They were evergreen and with flecks of gold in the iris. 

She was a shorter height than her brother's 6'7"; only 5'6" and probably only weighed 134 lbs. She did keep herself in shape, due to that some of her missions could be like this. She had been trained in self defense so she knew how to take down a man who was threatening her. 

She was also very easy to underestimate and many had regretted underestimating her before. 

But most of the time, Simon didn't let her fight back. He didn't want her getting hurt and spent more time coming to defend her when they were working together on missions.

But this time, she was going in alone. 

And into a den of some of the worse of the worst. 

But it was at the promise that she would go in very fast, stick to the shadows and take the pictures of what Mount Massive was doing to the patients and get out before she was even noticed. 

That was why he allowed her to go. 

"I promise. I'll be careful, Simon. In and out." Ash told her older brother. 

Simon sighed and he did sound tired. "I swear to God, Ash, if you're not, and you get caught and killed, I'm going to break in there with a militia and bring you back to life so I can beat your arse." He threatened. 

Ash gave a low chuckle but felt the love that never showed on his face. She might not see it anymore but there was still some part of him that was still there. "I love you too, bro. See you when I get back out. I'm coming up to the check point where I lose reception." She told him seeing a reflection tape around a tall tree that one of their scouters had placed.

"In and out, Ash. You have until dawn to call me back, otherwise, I'm sending the extraction team in to get you out again." Simon warned. "And no....." 

"No heroics. I remember the rules." Ash interrupted. "Got to go, I'm getting static. Love you, Simon. See you soon." 

And she hung up. 

Pulling her black jeep into the trees away from the deserted road, Ash finally turned off the lights and engine. She took her keys out and shoved them into the black backpack on her passenger seat and re checked her supplies before pulling out a small hand flash light and the night vision goggles her brother made her bring. 

She made sure to check the map of the massive facility and the surrounding terrain before folding them neatly and placing them into a plastic sandwich baggie before setting them back in the bag. 

Touching her utility belt and putting the small flash light in the case, Ash also grabbed her black skin tight ski mask and began pulling it on over her head, adjusting it to be able to see through the small eye holes and then fit the night goggles over her eyes. 

It was go time. 

No turning back now. 

Getting out and checking herself over to make sure all of the black she was wear didn't have anything that would make her stand out, she zipped up her black military jacket and got outnof her jeep, swinging backpack over her back. She was ready for this. 

Locking up the jeep, Ash began up the trail that would lead to Mount Massive Asylum, only half a mile away from where she parked. 

She paused only to turn her phone to silent before sliding it into the custom made pocket of her black cargo pants.

Time to break into the looney bin and do some good.


	3. Mount Massive Asylum

It had been before dark when Ash had begun the drive through the canyon roads and well close to midnight when she finally trudged through woods up to the large stone walls of the asylum.

The sounds of nightly activities of the woods echoed around her, undisturbed by the crunching of leaves and twigs under her black boots. 

If the situation wasn't what it was, she would have thought she was just on a night hike. She did them time to time. It was peace and quiet with only the sounds of night nature.

But no. 

This night hike was full of light anxiety and yet determination of taking down one of the most corrupt companies in the world. 

She couldn't help but feel a little anxious about what she was doing. She knew the stories about this place and the company that ran it. She heard it all from Simon. She knew what she was about to do was putting everything on the line, especially her life. 

But if it weren't for the fact that she might be helping people, even people who were known killers and demented, she wouldn't have been doing this. 

She wanted to do good, and always had wanted to help people. Even if they were deranged.

Usng her night vision goggles to maneuver around tall trees, heading up a slope, Ash finally saw the spires of the hospital as she crept up. She saw the bright spot lights flickering through the branches and moved to a lower crouched position as she stuck to the trees. 

Finally reaching the top of the slope, she saw Mount Massive.

The whole compound was huge from what she could see. It was surrounded by iron fences and stone walls with large open yards that would make it very difficult to sneak into and out without being seen. There not a lot of places to hide. 

But this was just one side of the facility. 

The building itself looked more like a castle than a hospital. It must have been five or six stories high and must had more than a hundred rooms and that was just the main building. There was a chapel from what Ash could see that was connected to the main building. 

Ash took in the sight from the trees before getting into the pocketnof her backpack where she kept the map and got it out. She opened it and peered down at the layout of the land. 

According to the map, which was a secret document made by insider information, there was a secret entrance into the lab that was hidden underground, where most of the inhumane experiments took place. And it say that it was extremely hard to get into the lab. 

According to info, the lab was closely guarded and had very high, advanced security. Electrictronic locks were everywhere, with retinal scanners and even finger print scanners. There was said to be armed guards down there, employed by Murkoff.

Ash knew this was going to be her biggest challenge. And she had been warned by Simon. This place was a fortress for security. It was not going to be easy at all. 

However, what was not on the layout documents was a vent that lead directly outside. The vent where Simon escaped from in his time in Mount Massive. 

And only two people had that information. Simon and Ash. 

Ash folded the map up and placed it back into the bag again before she looked around the fences. She had to remember where the landmarks were that Simon told her about. 

The secret vent was on the Northeast side of the facility and she was on the East side. She needed to move around the massive structure to find the marking that Simon left to identify the vent.

"Okay, there should be a giant oak fifteen feet away from the rocky wall, where the vent is located only a yard away." Ash murmured ro herself as she began trekking through the dark. 

It took 20 minutes to find the tree with initials carved in the side but she found it. She found the tree with S.P carved into the trunk and she lightly touched it, smiling as she thought of her older brother. 

Continuing on and counting her steps, Ash kept her hidden eyes glued to the rocky side of the cliffs that Mount Massive Asylum was built on before she saw the opening into the rocky wall. 

And it was grated. 

"Shit." Ash muttered as she went to the grate and touched the bars that rest over the opening. 

It was obvious that the Murkoff company knew about this vent now. It had been six years after all since Simon had escaped. They must have investigated his escape and found the source. And once they had found it, they covered it up. 

However, the problem lied with the corrosion of the bars. 

Ash studied the metal they had used and came to the conclusion that they were just iron and quite rusted over. The idiots of Mount Massive had barred the vent but didn't maintain them. 

Over the years of just being left, rain water and whatever else had rusted the bars and Ash knew there was a way to break them. Not that she actually needed to. 

She touched the large star shaped screws in the edges of the bars and grinned to herself. 

Simple star screws, easy enough to just unscrew and pull the grate right off. 

So, crouching down to one knee and pulling off her backpack, she got into one of her pockets to pull out her multitool utility knife and got to work, using the screwdriver piece to start removing the screws.

It was a slow process because even the screws had rusted over from the years so they were hard to turn. But she managed just fine, pausing only a few times to look and listen for anything she didn't want to hear.

The only thing that would screw her over was if there was a patrol in this area. 

But so far, so good. 

Ash didn't hear a single thing that wasn't natural to the woods. She had only paused a few times when onenof the screws decided to shriek in protest but no one came running to investigate so she figured she was good. 

Finally getting the screws out, Ash grabbed the bars and gave a mighty tug. She was lucky enough that it wasn't too hard and it barely made a sound. 

At this point, she needed to be very much careful and very quiet. 

Sound could travel through the vents and judging by the material of the vent, it was metal but thankfully not aluminium. She took a deep breath before laying down and began an army crawl into the vents, trying to go as slow and quiet as possible. 

For the longest time of crawling through the shafts, Ash couldn't see anything and did grimace when she did find some spiders she immediately took a moment to squish with the butt of her small flash light. She might have been well covered but she did not want to take the chance of one of those black widows or brown recluses finding away into her clothes. 

That would be really bad, and pathetic if she got taken out by poisonous spiders. 

Thankfully there weren't any snakes. The area she was in did have rattlesnakes. But as long as they stayed out of her ventilation shaft, she was all good. 

There was nothing to see but total darkness for a good while but she finally began hearing the echoes of life. She could hear humming of machines and even distant voices. 

Keep on moving, she thought to herself as she crawled on. 

Finally, she came to another vent that was hangingnon my the hinges and it was easy enough to remove it. It led into a larger ventilation shaft which would give her more room to move around and maybe even crawl onnher hands and knees. 

Ash carefully crawled into the larger shaft and looked both ways before deciding to follow the noise she was now hearing. 

It took a little while to find anything but the. She came to a vent that she peered through and saw a massive, dark room.

Unfortunately, her vision was a little blocked by big blue barrels in front of the vent. It seemed that no one realized there was one there but it didn't help her see anything and looking down the shaft, she couldn't see another one to peer out of. 

Thankfully by the sounds of this room, there was enough rumbling and activity going on as she set to work on trying to remove the vent from the shaft. 

It was not a task that was easy at all. 

There would be no way to remove the vent, itself from the inside so it meant destroying it. She knew she couldn't kick it out because there were people she could hear in the room. 

But that didn't mean she couldn't cut her way out. 

Taking her multitool knife out again, she began carefully and quietly cutting the vent to pieces. It gave quiet snaps as she cut them away but the noise was being over powered by whatever was going on in the room. 

Another five job, Ash had the vent cut to pieces and she quietly set it on black concrete before slowly and carefully pushing at the barrels. It was too her surprise that they weren't too heavy but it was still a task to pushing them and finally, crawling out to hide behind them. 

Ashton Peacock finally got to look around the room from where she hid. And it took her breath away as she remained crouched down as low as possible. 

The room was very dark with little light m, which made her grateful for her little corner. It was too dark there so it made her hiding easier on her. 

But the room.....

It was massive, carved like a giant cavern and obviously right in the mountain, itself. It was definitely a man made cavern and had taken years upon years to create its massively made structure. 

There was a large machine in the very center of the room, looking like a giant plasma ball. There were control consols at its base with connecting spheres of glass around it. Computers were light up with information that Ash could barely see but some of them did look medical. 

And judging by the men in some of those spheres, bound and shackled but with large tubes and wires comingnout from their mouths and noses, unconscious to the world around them, this had to be the morphogenetic engine that Simon had once warned her about. 

She heard about it but couldn't imagine it.  
This was where the experiments of dream therapy of the patients took place. The study of lethal neuroscience took place here. 

Looking around from her hidden area, Ash did see plenty of cat walk stairs that lead to different parts of the facility but there was also an area where it was obvios the main controls were. 

People in hazmat suits were everywhere and even moving back and forth within the room. 

On the far side of the room was a large window, where Ash could see through and could see a long hall way of cells. Prison cells. Isolation cells that probably kept the patients who were tortured beyond all measure. 

There were armed guards at the doors near that window and they were watching all activity in the room. 

Ash, immediately got into her pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out her phone. She made sure to keep the screen as dark as possible as she got into her special program for video taking and began snapping pictures of everything she was seeing. 

On an intercom in the room, someone was calling for a doctor and even guards to get the next patient for testing. 

Ash took pictures and recorded everything she could see. She even made sure to direct her camera towards the control panel to take pictures of men in suits that stood nesr the glass. Executives, probably and it made her grin as she mad sure to zoom in on their faces. 

"Sphere 4 is having mechanical issues with the shut down sequence," she could hear two scientists saying from near the giant laser ball. "It needs to be rebooted before using for the next test." 

"We don't have time for rebooting. As long as no one pushes the shut down button, it should be fine. But we need to prep the testing. They're going to be bringing Patient 196 out this time for the Engine testing." Another said. 

The other scientist looked rather startled to ear that and even drew back from his companion. "196?! Gluskin?! They're putting Gluskin through the Engine?! Are they mad?! His lucid dreaming tests kept failing! Why him?!" 

"Do you really want to ask Blaire why they decided to use Gluskin for this test, Schroeder?" Scientist number 2 asked skeptically. 

It was obvious that Scientist number 1 had grimaced, shaking his head. 

Ash frowned from where she sat hidden before seeing movement from the Isolation hallway. She turned to look and made sure to record it as she saw four guards, obviously having a struggle with a patient. 

"God damn it. They're already bringing him out. Hurry it up and get that program up! As soon as he's dragged to sphere 4, we need to start hooking him in." Scientist 2 said now hurrying to get whatever he was suppose to be doing done. 

Ash watched as the guards dragged the patient intonthe massive room, and heard the man screaming and yelling as he was dragged across the ground. 

"NO! NO! NOT AGAIN! PLEASE! STOP! SOMEONE HELP ME! HELP ME! NO! NO! RAPE! RAPE!" The patientwas screaming as he struggled and fought against the guards.

Ash had flinched at the shouts but looked right at the patient that was dragged in and she couldn't help but stare. 

The patient was taller than most of the guards and wuite strong from his build, which was probably why there were four guards fighting with him in the first place. He was almost completely naked with only a pair of tightie whities on and it did show off the musclenhe possessed. He did have quite a lovely body for a man. 

His face, when not contorted with fear, was chiseled and he did have a strong chin. He had very strong features, high cheekbones, a wide brow and ink black hair that was buzzed on the sides by with a good length on top which was wild from fighting with thenguards. 

But those eyes, Ash couldn't help but look right at. They were cool blue, like the summer sky on a clear day, although wide with fear and panic. They were roaming the entire room, looking for anyone that would help him. 

"PLEASE! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP ME! THEY'RE GOING TO HURT ME, RAPE ME, KILL ME! NO! NO!" The man screamed as he tried to dig his bare feet into thenground to stop being pulled towards the glass sphere, where scientists were readying those thick tubes and wires to obviously shove down his throat like the other one.

"PLEASE! STOP THIS! YOU'RE KILLING US! THIS ISN'T THE THERAPY YOU SAID IT WERE! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! HELP! HELP!" 

Ash felt her heart twinge as she watched the guards dragging the man across the room, halting when he came very close to breaking free. 

And she winced when one finally had enough and sunk his fist right into the gut of the patient. 

'No, no, no. Ash, Ash, nope. Don't do it.' She begannher mantra as she watched painfully as thenguards began beating on the man for struggling. 'Don't do it. Too stupid.' 

"Enough! Get that lunatic in the sphere and start up the test!" Someone had used the intercom to shout. 

Ash looked at the patient as he coiled into himself, his arms wrapped around his middle from the hit he had taken. He didn't have enough air to be able to fight this time. 

And that made Ash's heart tweek in pity for him. It seriously broke her heart to see the fear, distress and pain on his face. He honestly reminded her of a child, a big child who was so desperate to escape the horror he was about to face. 

The look on his face......it reminded her of Simon when....and her when.....

No. She couldn't go back to that memory. 

"Shit." Ash murmured to herself begore she turned her phone's camera towsrds herself. "Simon, if you see this, I am so sorry. I gotta do it. I have to help him. I'll try and bring him with me. Maybe we can have an eyewitness to contest to Murkoff is doing." She murmured so quietly before she stopped recording and put her phone back into her pocket where it would be safe. 

She took her bag off and stuffed it back into the vent. She needed to be able to move fast and having her backpack on would slow her down a little. 

Turning, she looked back at the scene, taking everything in as quick as she could. She looked at the machinary and frowned and then looked at the men in the room. 

'They're strong but that patient is stronger. It had to take four men to even get him out. I free him, he might be able to take some swings at them.' Ash thought before looking at the machinary again. 

The guards were now holding the struggling patient down as the scientists were readying thentubes and wires. 

Ash's eyes fell onto the control panels of the big plasma ball thing and chewed the inside of her lip. If she fucked that thing up, maybe they would have to wait to use it. 

Her eyes trailed up at the ball itself before grimacing. She couldn't fuck that one up. It was too big and even if she threw one of her knives at it, it would bounce off. She had a good aim but even that was pushing it. 

Her eyes turned towards the walls and......BINGO! 

There was a power box with wires trailing out from the bottom and even across the floor that lead to the big plasma ball machine. 

Looking around, everyone was too busy with the patient who was starting up a fight again when he saw the wires and tubes coming in his way. He was a sobbing and screaming mess now, struggling and trying to get away. 

Ash stood up and kept to the wall. She would have to move fast and low to get to that power box. She turned to look around the room, moving against the dark wall now towards the power box. 

No one was looking at her but at the patient. 

Good. 

It was too dark to see her and they were busy. 

So she moved towards the power box, her hand raising upfor the large handle to pull down.

"HEY! What is that guard doing?!" Someone now spoke through the intercom loudly. 

Ash jerked to a stop and turned her head, now looking around and felt her blood drain when she saw not everyone was watching the proceedibgs with the patient. 

A suit was watching her. 

And he must have seen where she was going and finally spoke up. 

He could see her against the darkened wall. 

And therefore, actions stopped and some looked confused to the control booth where the suit pointed right at her before they looked right at her corner. 

A guard aimed a flash light towards the corner. 

And Ash moved as fast as she could, running directly to the power box, yanking the switch down hard and fast that rumbled the entire room. 

And as she hoped, computers shut off, lights went dark with the exception of emergency lights and shouts of alarm began raising up, as well as a piercing alarm going off with flashing red lights coming from the plasma ball machine. 

Now for escape.


	4. Don't Be A Hero

The shrill alarms were going off and Ash was moving as fast as she could to avoid the guns that were being drawn by guards now racing through the dark to find her. 

She was only too glad for her night vision goggles as she raced up to one guard, grabbing at his gun and yanking it from his hands and causing him to yell. She wasted no time to use it as a bat, slamming it against his head and sending him reeling into his fellow guards and making them tumble down like dominoes. 

Immediately, she was moving towards the guards that were man handling the startled patient, taking out a can of mace and spraying directly in their faces, causing them to shout in alarm and pain as they dropped their guns to the ground and stumbling back. 

Swooping down, Ash grabbed the startled patient's arm and tugged at him, making him look wide eyed up at her. 

"Come with me if you want to escape! Hurry!" She hissed at him, her voice only a little muffled by her mask but loud enough for him to hear.

The patient looked torn into not believing her or believing her. He even pulled back against her, looking alarmed. "Who are you?" He managed to rasp. 

"Decide now! Stay here or escape!" Ash ground her voice hard, not really wanting anyone to realize that she was a female. "I'm your ticket out of this hell hole!" She even tugged at his arm again as if to get him to move. 

There were shouts from around her and she jerked her head around to see a guard coming at her with his gun raising and it made her bare her teeth, even if it were hidden from view. 

Suddenly, she felt something tug at her utility belt, making her whip back around, only to get shoved to the side as the patient was up on his feet and bull rushing the guard. 

Ash merely saw a flash of silver before she realized what he had in his hand as he thrust his right fist right into the guard's stomach. 

One of her knives.

The guard shrieked in pain as the knife sank into his gut and he fell to his knees only to get a flat bare foot to the face to send him on his back. 

The patient, however, yanked the knife out and turned towards Ash, who did cringe back a little by the menacing look the man had on his face. 

That look, alone, scared the shit out of her. 

"Well?!" The patient snapped her out of her thoughts. 

"Right." She murmured before pushing herself off the control panel of the plasma ball and dashed back towards the corner where the vent was. 

"Lock down the building! Gluskin is escaping!" Someone shouted over the intercom. "Stop them!" 

Ash wasted no time to run to barrels and toss them hard to the side before diving right into the vent. She made time to snatch her backpack and swing it over one shoulder before beginning a fast crawl through the vents. 

Barely having room to glance over her shoulder, Ash made note that the patient was diving right behind her and quickly was following after her into the vent. She just gave a sharp nod before hurrying through. 

It was a tight fit for the man because of his size but he seemed agile enough to keep up with her fast crawl. He stayed right behind her as she maneuvered through the vents. 

Quickly reaching the smaller vent, Ash paused to look back at the patient as he slowed to halt when she wasn't moving any more. "This is a smaller fit but try not to panic! Just take a deep breath and keep moving!" She grated her voice as she crawled into the vent and began her army crawl again. 

Her eyes forward, she kept moving as swift as possible, dragging herself along. She couldn't look back to see if the patient was following but she heard him grunt and the scuffle he was making as he tried to drag himself after her. 

Huffing along, Ash kept moving until she saw the opening of the vent. She finally dragged herself out and tumbled down on rocky terrain before swiftly turning to peer into the vent. 

The patient had stopped in the vent and was lying there, huffing and out of breath. 

Above, Ash heard the alarms going off and heard shouting. She knew it was a matter of time before Murkoff guards came to this end of the vent. She looked sharply back at the patient, now thrusting a hand inside. 

"Keep moving! They're coming!" She growled lowly. 

The patient shook his head and tried to move on butnhe didn't seem to have the strength. "I.....I cannot! I am stuck!" He cried now sounding panicked. 

Ash growled before waving a hand at him. "Give me your hand! I'll help you but we need to hurry! They're coming! And if they catch us, you're going back into the Engine! Now give me your fucking hand!" 

The patient peered at her with one eye narrowed at her and a look on his face as if he was scowling but he finally reached out and took her hand in his rather large, spindly hand.

Ash began to pull on him, trying to get him out of the vent. She pulled and pulled until he was finally free to wriggle his way out. She only released him as he tumbled out before grabbing his arm to help him stand up. 

"Come on! This way!" Ash said now turning to lead him back towards her car. 

But it seemed that the patient had other ideas. 

Because as she turned to lead him, the patient grabbed her arm and swing her around with a startled yelp to throw her against the rocky wall. 

Her head knocking against stone, Ash felt pain and her vision went dark for only a moment but she wasn't completely out of it when she felt one of his hands wrap around her throat and pin her against the wall. She gasped, her eyes flashing open behind the night vision goggles seeing the menacing grin on the patient's face. 

"Darling," The man spoke as he squeezed her throat, cutting off her airways. "Whore, slut, if I am to find my bride, I cannot be halted even by you." 

Choking, Ash scrambled at his arms and tried to get him to let go. She squeaked and began kicking at him but it didn't seem to bother him at all. 

Instead, he used the other hand to pull off her goggles and toss them to the side. 

And it was just as a light fell upon them, the light hitting her eyes as she looked terrified at him. Her eyes looking right at his. 

That menacing grin faded immediately as he looked her right in the eyes, startled by the color of them. He seemed.....to take the color of them and feel his focus sharpen. There was something about those green eyes.

Perhaps the gold in the green. 

"You......Darling......you have a woman's eyes." The patient murmured in surprised. 

And suddenly something sharp bit into his bare bicep, making him cry out and release Ash as he stumbled. He jerked his head around to see what bit him and felt the air suck right outnof his lungs to see a tranquilizer dart. 

Ash, on the other hand, gasped as she had been released and coughed as the air returned to her lungs. She felt her legs give out from under her and she sunk down to the ground. She saw the patient stumble and then fall as the affects of the tranquilizer kicked in.

Gasping and coughing, she barely heard the shouts and she turned to look up, only to get a rifle butt right to the face. 

And everything went black as soon as she felt the excruciating pain in the side of her head. 

Coming to, however, Ash almost wished she hadn't. She felt herself being dragged across the ground, her upper part hanging from tight grips on her arms. She opened her eyes to see tiled flooring before she was dumped right onnthe ground, where she groaned. 

There were blurred voices above her as she was trying to find her focus again. She groaned as she tried to push herself to waking up before gasping as she was roughly grabbed and yanked up again. 

Her attention focused sharply and her eyes opened to see that she had been dragged back to the hospital. She was in a lobby of some sort, surrounded by guards. 

In her peripheral, she noticed the patient being strapped to a wheelchair and his head lulled as if he too was coming out of a sleep. He was whimpering and for only a brief second did she feel bad for him. 

But that was before she remembered what the fuck he had did, even after she tried to help the son of a bitch. He had tried to kill her. He had choked her and that sent a burning rage through her. 

But the rage was quickly zapped out as she looked forward and saw the man in a dark blue suit, bending over her, looking quite pissed. 

"Who the fuck are you?" The man hissed as he studiednher before lashing out a hand and slapping her hard against the head. 

Ash gasped in pain but then shrieked softly as she felt him grab the mask and yanking it right off her head, taking a bit of hair with it. She grimaced in pain from the sting of her hair being pulled. 

But everyone else around her started at the sight of her. Even the man in the suit had to raise his eyebrows to see her face finally. 

It was only then did Ash realize she was being held by guards and she bared her teeth now trying to pull free but their grips were like iron on her arms and they only tightened when she struggled. 

"Huh," the man in the suit hummed now stepping back and tilting his head as he looked her over. "A girl. A fucking bitch broke into Mount Massive Asylum and attempted to free Eddie Gluskin." He sounded impressed actually. 

Ash just glared up at him with her teeth bared into a snarl. She didn't cease to struggle, even if it were no use. She did glance over at the patient and saw that he was looking at her and while he was still disoriented, there was a surprised look on his face as well. 

His cool blue gaze met her infuriated green glare but he seemed in awe. 

"Well, a pretty girl with skills, I got to admit. Not many people has broken in here and succeeded in getting a patient outside the walls." The suit said making her look back at him with her green fire glare. He clicked his fingers towards one of the guards and took her backpack from him. 

Without another word, the suit unzipped the pockets before turning it over and dumping everything out. He gave a few shakes to make sure that was everything before crouching down and began looking at everything she had. 

"Hm. A map. Flash lights, glow sticks, cans of Mace, knives. Jesus fucking Christ, you definitely planned this. Batteries." The suit said as he shifted through her stuff before looking up at another guard as he stepped forward. 

Ash felt a gasp raise up as she saw her phone now being held out to the suit. 

The man stood up, taking the cell and opened it up. He began pacing a little as he started looking through it before pushing something on the screen. 

The sounds of the video she recorded began playing, which had the man's eyebrows raising again. He watched it but not before clicking his fingers again and pointing his finger towards the patient. "Get that fucker back to his Isolation cell. Straight jacket. He gets his privileges taken away for trying to escape. We'll try the test out again at another date. This is more interesting than him right now." He ordered as he watched the video. 

Ash glanced over to see the guards taking the patient away before turning her glare back to the man with her phone. 

After a moment, the video ended and the suit frowned at what she had said in the video before his face lit up and he looked right at her. It was like something dawned on him. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." He murmured before looking back at the phone and looking through it again. "Disable the signal jammer. Now. I've got a phone call to make." He ordered. 

Ash frowned as she watched the suit playing with her phone before he seemed to find what he had been looking for. He seemed satisfied as he pressed something on her screen and the sound of ringing came through the speaker. 

Her breath caught on her throat as she realized what he was doing. 

He was fucking calling Simon! 

It was proved correct when the line opened up and she heard her brother's raspy voice speak out. 

"Ashton, report." 

"Hey, Simon! I'm sorry but Ashton can't come to the phone right now. She's gotten herself into some trouble. She's been a naughty girl." The suit said now grinning as he held up the phone. "You, on the other hand, what the fuck are you still doing alive? Last time I heard, you died." He stressed out the last sentence. 

There was a dead silence for a long moment. 

But then a hissing sigh came out from through the speaker.

"Fucking 'ell. Hello, Jeremy Blaire. Nice to hear from you too. Where is she?" Her brother asked coldly. 

The man, Jeremy Blaire turned towards Ash and took a few steps forward before placing a hand on her head, making her glare harder at him. But not before screaming in pain when he grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanking it. 

"So, I'm guessing this is your little sister, Simon. The one you told me about when you were here. Kind of risking it sending her here, aren't you?" Blaire asked smartly. 

"Fucking 'ell, Ash. What the fuck did you do?!" Simon snapped on the line. 

Tears of pain formed in her eyes as her hair was pulled by Blaire again, Ash hissed. "I.....I'm so-sorry, Simon. I'm so sorry. I fucked up." She whimpered. 

"You broke the fucking rules, didn't you?! I told you! In and out! Don't get caught! And yet, you did the opposite of what I told you, didn't you?!" Her brother yelled through the line. 

Her heart sinking as the tears formed but Ash nodded as if he could see her. 

"Yea-ah, I don't know what you're up to nowadays and why your baby sister is involved but if breaking the rules meant trying to break out one of our patients. I don't know what you wanted with him, but seriously?" Blaire asked skeptically. 

There was another sigh, this one seriously frustrated. "Why, Ash!? You fucking interfered, didn't you? Which one did you try to break out?" 

"Yeah, maybe you can answer that for me, Simon. Why would she break into a maximum secured mental hospital to break out Eddie Gluskin, of all people?" Blaire said and he did sound amused.

There was another dead pause before there a crash and Simon swore loudly on his end of the line. He obviously was not happy to hear that at all. 

"Gluskin?! Ash, you went for Eddie Gluskin?! Are you fucking......?!" Simon cut himself off and there was another crash as he was definitely trashing his office in rage.

"I'm.....I'm sorry! I thought if we had an eyewitness.....!" Ash was saying, tears now rolling down her cheeks. 

"Not Eddie Fucking Gluskin, Ash! That man.....he's one of the worst people on this fucking planet! Do you have any idea who he is?!" Her brother snapped. "That man is a Serial Killer, Ash! He murdered 17 women! Brutally slaughtered them and mutilated their bodies! And you almost got him out!" 

Ash just cringed as she felt the blood drain from her face.

"Actually she succeeded in getting him outside the walls of Mount Massive." Blaire spoke up now backing away from Ash and there was a nasty smile on his face. "That's just.....insane, don't you think? So insane that I think it's enough to commit her to Mount Massive Asylum. In fact, you sent her here and that's just crazy so....." 

"Don't you fucking dare, Jeremy! Do not hurt her! Let her go!" Simon snarled. 

"You should be recommitted to Mount Massive as well. What you both pulled, it's crazy." Blaire said smiling so nasty. "Tell us where you are and we'll arrange something." 

Ash hissed before thrashing against the guards. "Simon! Don't!" She screamed now fighting to get up to her feet but she had her legs kicked out from beneath her again. "Simon, do not listen to him! Don't give yourself up! I fucked up! Me! You told me to never break the rules and I did! I have to live with that now! But you! You stay there! Do not give yourself up! Destroy them!" 

"Ashton, what the fuck would you have me do?! You got your ass caught and now, I'm going to have to come get your ass! I'm going to beat the shit outta ya when I.. .." Simon was snapping. 

Ash shook her head as she looked painfully at her phone. "No, don't. Simon, please, don't come here. Don't reveal yourself. Take them out. No matter what happens to me, what's more important is your work. Expose them. Destroy them. But don't come save me." She begged. 

There was a long silence but Blaire snorting as he watched the exchange. 

"Ash....." Simon began. 

"Pinky promise." Ash interrupted again. "Don't come save me. Destroy Murkoff." 

"Ah, so that's what you're doing." Blaire spoke up now turning his full attention back to the phone. "So, I'm guessing ViraLeaks then, the biggest pain in the ass journalists against Murkoff. All right, here is the deal, Simon. I'm going to keep your little sister in good faith. You have a few options. Give yourself up and I will think about letting her go. Don't, and we still keep her. However if I see one story from ViraLeaks that seems legit, I'm going to fucking kill her." Blaire said rather darkly now. "I'll give her to one of our big boys. The Cannibal, maybe. He's getting hungrier every day. Maybe.....the Twins. No, perhaps Walker, where he can just rip her a part. No, no. That's just too fast in death." He paused for a bigger effect. 

There was a nasty smile on that suit's face that terrified Ash. 

"Gluskin is always looking for a bride. Who knows? Maybe I'll just give her to The Groom. If I see one legit story about Murkoff or Mount Massive," Blaire said so nasty that it sent a cold chill throughout Ash's entire body. "I'm shoving her in a room with Gluskin, and I won't stop him for tearing her apart. You really want that, Simon?" 

The silence was so painful and tense that it could be cut with a hot butter knife against butter. 

The only sound coming from the phone was Simon's unsteady breathing. He was pissed but it was obvious that by the way he exhaled, he was terrified as well. 

"If I find out she dies, Blaire," Simon spoke up and his voice was like Death, itself. "You better pray Gluskin makes you his next bride instead. Because I will come in there and if you think for one second all of your toy lunatics were the worse of the worst, I'll prove you wrong." He paused for only a moment. "I was." He growled out. 

Blaire just smirked at his words. 

"Simon," Ash spoke up again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She began sobbing as she looked at her phone. 

"Pinky promise, Ash." Simon's last reply was before he just hung up. 

Blaire hummed before hanging up the phone, droppingnit on the ground and proceeded to smash with his heel. He turned to smirk down at Ash, who in turn glared hatefully at him. 

"Miss Ashton Peacock, you are now a patient of Mount Massive Asylum. You are sentenced to life in the asylum so we can cure you of your mental illness. Your treatment begins tomorrow morning." Blaire said smirking nastily at her. "Take her to the showers, strip her down, give her the full welcome to Hell treatment and then put her in an isolation cell." He ordered before looking sharply at the guards. "And if I find out that anyone touches her, patient or guard, that person will be committed next. And entered in the morphogenetic engine progam. Just the usual welcome to Mount Massive Asylum. If she is molested or hurt in any way than she already is, I'll put you there myself!" 

The guards nodded before beginning to drag Ash away, who had no choice but to glare over her shoulder at Blaire with hate. 

She should have never broke the fucking rules. 

She just had to try and be the hero, didn't she?


	5. Admittance

CASE NUMBER: 0363-2020  
PATIENT: Ashton Peacock  
Consultation Dated: 2012.03.06  
Intitial Date of Patient Consult: 2013.03.01  
Patient Age: N/A (patient refused to answer; guess estimates 27-31  
Gender: Female  
Observing Physcian: Dr. Harold McGree

THERAPY STATUS:

Unavailable; therapy not yet begun

DIAGNOSTICS:

N/A for now until further date

BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT:  
The Patient has anger issues, does not like to be touched, is violent tempered; a guard was attacked during entry and is now recovering from a broken nose. Further assessment is being taken place.

INTERVIEW NOTES:

The case of Ms Ashton Peacock is a questionable case. 

Upon committing to Mount Massive, she has reacted violently to the guards and has been very vocal in such a negative way. Patient has a chronic anger, violent tendencies and perhaps denial that there is anything wrong with her mental health. 

According to Asylum Warden Executive, Jeremy Blaire, Miss Peacock is a chronic liar and has an obsession with another patient, PATIENT 196, Eddie Gluskin, whom she tried to assist in escape. 

Upon physical examination, that did not end well with injuries to two Asylum guards, Miss Peacock does possess multiple scars upon her back and on her wrists from early life injuries. History unknown in the time being. 

Further examination will be included at later date. 

********************************************

A week in an Isolation cell, Ash still haven't lost her spirit of spitting rage at the Murkoff guards. She wasn't going to allow herself to either.

If they thought for one second that she was going to give up, just give in to being afraid of them and not fight back, even as a hostage against her own brother, they had another thing coming. 

From that first night of being a hostage, Ash put up a fight. 

That first night, they had dragged her to the showers, stripped her down to her under garments to sterilize her and make sure she wasn't hiding any more weapons, she bit, scratched and punched at them. 

A guard learned the hard way not to threaten her. 

She had broken his nose after attempting to pull her blonde hair to get her under the spray of the luke warm showers and wham!

She waylaid him in the face, feeling cartilage break under her knuckles immediately. 

After that, she was thrown into an Isolation cell in the women's ward, which was a complete disaster from what she had seen. She had seen the state of the Female ward and it obviously had been a while since any of it had been cleaned or even maintained. 

Quite of few of the halls had been a mess and it honestly looked like it had been falling apart. 

So obviously by the very surroundings, she was probably the only female patient in the entire asylum and that did strike up a little fear in her. She knew this was not going to go well for her. 

There had to be dozens if not hundreds of men here who probably hadn't seen a woman in years. Probably haven't had one either. 

It might have explained why everyone had been surprised, Gluskin, included, to learn she was a girl after being caught. They all had looked surprised even that mad son of a bitch had been when he had seen her as who she really was. 

But nonetheless, she wasn't without guards and that was proven several times when she caught men looking into her cell during her week of isolation. 

Quite a few had been caught staring at her and she just glared at every one of them when she saw them. 

It made using the nasty ass toilet hard when a guard was constantly glancing in and she spat vile and vulgar words at them before almost poking someone's eyes out when they glanced through the viewing slot in the door. 

A week of Isolation later, Ash finally left the cell, being cuffed and dragged down the halls back towards the other part of the asylum where she was shoved into a fancy looking office and cuffed to a chair. 

Disheveled and not exactly looking her best, she looked at the doctor who sat at the desk, scribbling notes on a pad of paper. 

A glance around the room, it was like any other office you found in a mental hospital. There were awards on the walls, stating the doctor's name; Dr Harold McGree, P.H.D Psychiatrist for Mount Massive Asylum. 

After a good moment of silence, he finally looked at her, trying to smile friendly like but she met his friendliness with a glare. 

"So, Miss Peacock, how are you today?" 

Ash didn't say anything. She wasn't going to play this game with these people. She refused to. 

Clearing his throat, Dr McGree tried again, folding his hands together. "I suppose you know why you're here, don't you? We are beginning your therapy and we need to analyze what type of therapy would be suited for you. I'm going to ask you a series of questions and judging by your answers, I can assess your therapy sessions. Now tell me about your childhood." 

He did not like any of her answers after that. 

Refusing to answer other than biting out comments like, "Fuck off!" or "Shove your questions up your ass!" 

She even went as far as insulting his looks. He was Murkoff, no matter how friendly he seemed. She refused to play into their mind games. 

Eventually she angered him enought to storm out of the room and that left her smirking as he stormed out of his own office. 

But who came in wiped that smirk off her face. 

Jeremy Blaire, himself, came into the room, looking stone faced and cold as he went straight to the desk, shoved a few things to the side and sat down on the corner with his leg crossed and hands resting on his knee. 

His dark eyes met with Ash's and he almost smirked when she just glared hatefully at him. 

"I suggest you get with the program, even if it's pretending to be a patient, Miss Peacock." Blaire said smartly. "We are in charge of your therapy, you know?" 

"Fuck you, asshole! You're holding me hostage to make sure my brother doesn't expose you mother fuckers!" Ash spat angrily. 

Blaire looked amused at least. "Yeah, we are. But either you make this easy on yourself by playing your part as a patient or I can make this very fucking hard on you where I break everything you are. You think I can't?" He asked coolly. 

Ash scoffed, her eyes narrowed at him. "You think you scare me? Well you don't! I'm not a patient! I am not a criminal or insane! And there is nothing you can do or say that will make me take this shit!" She spat. 

"Oh, I think I got something on you that will make you shut your fucking mouth, brat." Blaire said smirking nastily. "And I can guarantee you, there is something that you do need therapy for." 

"Oh yeah?" Ash asked just as nasty. 

"You think I don't know that you and Simon are from Australia and if you both went back there now, he would be arrested for kidnapping?" Blaire asked simply. 

That was like a slap to the face and Ash felt her blood went ice cold almost immediately as she sank back in the cair, eyes wide. 

That incited a colder smirk from Blaire as he dipped his head down, looking menacing. He knew he had her. "Oh, yeah, Ash. He told me about that when he was here." He said shifting a little so he could lean forward and it made Ash sink further back as the fear did grow in her at his words. "You see, during his time as a Murkoff Executive of Security, Simon and I become rather good buddies until he fucking grew a conscience about what we were doing with the patients. He told me quite a bit about his past. Your past." 

Ash felt her breathing labor as she started thinking back to those days. 

Blaure knew he was getting to her now and his smirk grew into a wicked grin. "I'm fully aware of what your own mother did to you and Simon." He said nastily and his eyes flicked down to her cuffed wrists, landing on the ringed scars she had. 

"He promised......." Ash murmured with a shaky breath. 

"He pinky promised that he wouldn't tell anyone about that life?" Blaire asked nastily. "Like I said, we became buddies while he was here, Ashton. Buddies trust each other. Buddies tell each other secrets. And his secret? His secret was kidnapping you and fleeing Australia. Add on that, that whole pinky promise shit you two do is for fucking kids." 

Slowly, Ash shook her head, her eyes watering a little and her breathing becoming quite unstable as memories surfaced. "He wasn't....he didn't kidnap....." 

Blaire grinned darkly and leaned forward. "In your mind, yeah. He rescued you from a fucking hellhole, little sister. To the law where you lived, he kidnapped you and is wanted for it. You were the sole propriety of your mother, Ash. She had legal guardianship over you after your parents' divorce. What she did with you was her business. And Simon? Or rather, Julien? He belonged to your dad. And when your dad died and Julien went and stole you from your mama, he got himself into some pretty deep shit that he had to take you and flee the country." His face fell into a dark, serious and dangerous look. "You do have trauma, bitch. And now, you're going to play your part as a patient or we're going to keep discussing that trauma. Might even experiment with it. Think. About. That." 

And he pushed himself off the desk, now bending over her and shoving his face into hers, making her cringe back. 

"Keep up with the fucking attitude that you've been throwing this first week and we will revisit those memories over and over again. And if you're not careful," Blaire's voice dropped into a deadly hush as his dark eyes bore into hers that shot fear right up through her. "I might do some simulations with you to bring up those memories that you've tried burying all these years." 

And with that, he backed off and started towards the door. 

Ash just sat there, shaking. She was tough and she wasn't going to stop fighting but she had to admit it, Blaire scared the shit out of her bringing that up.

Plus he just openly threatened to sexually assault her. 

That put the fear in her indefinitely.

Later, things were definitely going to get worse for Ash and while she swore to keep on fighting, it would definitely put more fear in her. 

But also make her question something that....didn't seem right at all. 

As it was, the patients of Mount Massive Asylum were allowed outside time in the yard. It gave them all some time for stretching their legs and keeping them from causing too much trouble. 

It was extended to her as well, apparently. 

For the day after Blaire's threat, Ash was dragged outside and shoved out into the yard, on the Female ward's side but still outside. 

Breathing mountain air, Ash looked around the yard she was in and found that the yard was completely surrounded by chain link and barbed wire fences. She spied a tall guard towere where two guards were watching carefully to make sure there was no touble. 

But she also noticed that next to the Female yard, there was the Male's yard. 

And there was patients outside on their side. 

In fact, a few patients had noticed her right away and while they looked startled to see a woman in a patient uniform, they looked interested and not in a good way. 

Some were already starting to crowd near the fence, peering at her from their side of the yard. 

And of course, as it so happened, Ash heard the jeers and cat calls beginning, making her grimace as she moved away from the fences. She tried blocking out somenof the calls. 

"Here, pussy! C'mere! Here, pussy, pussy cat!" One called to her. 

"Pretty flower! I wanna pollinate you!" 

"Bitch! I'm going to fuck you hard!" 

Ash curled into herself a bit as she wrapped her arms around herself as she moved further away from the fence, looking at each of the patients that were jeering at her. 

Her eyes, however, stopped on one that was not at the fence, joining in with all of the disgusting remarks being thrown at her. 

No. 

Instead, he was sitting on a bench, watching the other lunatics harrassing her with narrowed eyes. He didn't look particularly pleased with any of their remarks. 

But looking past them, his cool blue eyes met hers and Eddie Gluskin stared back at her. 

Ash stared back at him before making a face and hardening her eyes. She made sure to even glare at him. She was in this shithole because of him and it pissed her off. 

She had tried to help him and the result had been he had tried to strangle her and got them both caught again.

So yeah. 

She was mad at him.

Even with her glaring at him, Eddie Gluskin didn't really react how she thought he might. She had expected him to even glare back for glaring at him or even sprout out the same insults he had thrown in her face that night. 

No. 

Instead, he quirked his lips and smiled; faintly but he smiled. And she could have sworn he might have even said something because it looked like he did. 

She could have sworn she saw him mouth, "I'm sorry" to her. 

But she was jerked back to reality when the chain link fence rattled and her eyes snapped back to the other patients who were now shaking the fence. 

One even started to climb up as if trying to get over but he ended up going back down when the guards on the tower issued a warning. And when he ignored them and kept climbing, he got shot with a tranquilizer and he went back down.

Visibly shuddering, Ash wandered further away from the fence and found a bench to sit on. She did turn her head to watch the men still, grimacing when some kept calling vulgar remarks to her. 

But her eyes trailed back to Gluskin, who was still watching her and the actions of his fellow male patients.

Shaking her head, Ash turned to look up at the sky and grimaced when she saw how cloudy and droll it looked. There was a chill in the air and it was coming out of winter. The state must have had a dry winter because there wasn't snow on the ground. 

Her eyes traveled across the yard, looking around at the surroundings to see if there was any way of escape. But the chain link fences were well fenced and there wasn't any gaps that she could.......

It was at that moment she heard the male patients going wild with their yelling and she frowned and looked to see what was going on and it seemed like they were now fighting over something by the fence. There was a struggle with them, shoving and biting at each other a little.

And it only took her a moment to see why. 

Because her blood ran cold as her eyes widened to see that a few patients were pushing through a gape in the fence in the dead bushes, into the female yard. 

Immediately, Ash was on her feet and backing up as she watching with growing fear to see a few of the men climbing through the fence and standing up. She inhaled sharply as they turned towards herand ran at her. 

Snapping back, Ash quickly looked around for any means of escaping them. She could hear whistles being blown from the guards and shouting. She didn't even bother to look up at them to see what the hell they were doing but turned to run. 

The first thing she noticed was a pile of wooden planks and a drain pipe as she ran towards the building. She dove for that as fast as she could, hearing the men chasing after her. 

She felt her heart now hammering away as she pumped her legs as fast as she could before making a jump on top of the wood and scrambling for the pipe. She wasted no time at all to start climbing, her hopes that it wouldn't break as she climbed up to it and onto a window ledge with bars, which she used to pull herself up and held onto. 

Looking down, she saw the patients and even some more running up to the wall and were shouting at her to come down. 

Curling her legs as close to her body as she could and just holdingnon, Ash was breathing hard from the fear she was feeling. She knew if she slipped, she would fall right into those lunatics' arms and probably be ripped a part. 

Her anxiety grew as she saw one patient attempting to do what she had done and climb the rain pipe. 

Her eyes immediately snapped up towards the tower to see what the guards werw doing and grimaced with anger to see that they were just standing there. One was struggling with his gun so it probably had jammed and that's why he hadn't been shooting the patients with tranqs but the others were laughing. They weren't even trying to help her.

A grunt made her look back down and she gasped to see that one patient succeeded to climb the drain and was now reaching for her. 

She flinched and tried to lean further away from his grasping fingers.......

Suddenly, the patient was yanked back down sharply and with a shout before he was thrown against the other patients.

The yells slowly died down and became frightened whimpers as the patients began backing away from the one who had yanked the patient back down, away from her. 

"Get away from her, you whores and sluts." A menacing growl erupted Eddie Gluskin as he now stood over many of them, making them cringe back. 

Startled, Ash stared down at Gluskin as he now stood between the crowd and the wall. 

He was an imposing figure for sure. Intimidating to even look at because he was a good deal taller than most of the patients and definitely a healthier build than them. 

But there was something about him that even had Ash shuddering as he bared down on some of the patients, who quite a few were turning to flee back to the gap. 

Though it did seem that one patient was brave enough to bull rush Gluskin, snarling and spitting like an animal. 

That didn't end well at all for the patient. 

Because as soon as he was in arms length, Gluskin moved as fast as a snake, grabbing the patient by the head and twisting so sharply that even Ash heard his neck snap. 

The body dropped down like a sack of potatoes. 

That was enough for the rest of the patients to flee back to the male side, leaving Gluskin to be standing over the now body. 

The guards above were now shouting for order and even yelling that the patients return to their cells. They had lost their privileges of being outside now. One was even barking orders at Gluskin but even they were shaky orders. 

Gluskin, however, turned around looked right up at Ash as she clutched to the barred window. 

Shaking in fear and anxiety, Ash just pressed tightly as she could against the bars and stared back. Her frightened eyes looking right into Gluskin's cold blue ones. 

But then he turned and walked back towards the male side when a guard had ran out with his back up and was opening the gate. The backup guards were keeping the patients back but it didn't seem like the patients wanted to there anymore. Not with Eddie Gluskin coming out.

But at the approach of Gluskin, they even looked nervous as he walked to the gate. 

It took only a moment as the guard opened the gate and shakily told Eddie Gluskin that he couldn't beninnthe female yard. He flinched however when the tall serial killer snorted at his remark before walking right past him and kept walking. 

Ash just frowned as she watched Gluskin go, still clutching onto the bars of the window. "What the hell was that?" She murmured in bewilderment.


	6. He's So Not a Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter 
> 
> Trigger warning:  
> Molestation, sexual abuse, handsy psycho doctor

Time passed slowly for Ash since the day in the yard and not for the better. 

It had only been a few days later since that moment in the yard but it had her mind reeling in confusion. She couldn't figure it out at all. 

Why had Eddie Gluskin came to her defense when that patient he killed had tried to grab her? Why hadn't he tried to get her, himself? 

She was a woman. He killed women. Didn't he?

It seemed off to Ash. She had been thinking about it for the past few days. She hadn't thought of anything else. She knew he had the ability and agility to get up on that wall and yank her down. She hadn't seen him move from that bench but the fact that it took him mere seconds to get up, run over and push through the gap and through the growing crowd of maniacs to yank that patient down, he had the speed to do it. 

He could have done it before any of the guards could stop him from finishing what he had started by trying to kill her. 

But he hadn't. 

As it was, it seemed that word got around that Gluskin had defended her because even if she went outside into the yard again, the male patients being out as well, no one cat called her again. 

And she could see Gluskin at that bench, watching her as she walked around and any time a patient wandered too close to the fence, that man growled at him and the patient was scurrying off as fast as he could. 

It seemed to be curious to the staff of Murkoff too because Ash could hear guards talking about it when she was locked up in her cell. 

It was a passing conversation she heard but she still heard it one night as the guards were making a patrol past her room. 

"Did you hear about that incident in the yard when they let her out for the first time?" A guard had been saying. 

"Yeah, and now the patients are leaving her alone. I heard word is getting around that Gluskin is threatening anyone that if they harrass the girl, he would kill them." The other guard said.

"So what? You think Gluskin is going to try and kill her, himself?" 

"I don't know. Maybe. I heard that the higher ups might test out that theory. It's in discussion. I heard Blaire arguing with Trager about it. They think it might be worth looking into." 

And they passed by. 

Ash just remained curled up on the hard cot, shivering in cold and fear. It definitely scared her to think Blaire might do that to her. And she knew he would. He was a sadistic asshole.

If it were believed that Gluskin was threatening other patients about touching her, Blaire would want to see what the killer would do if they were shoved into a room together.

And it scared her to death.

Eventually it came up during one of her "therapy" sessions.

Dr McGree was trying to get her to talk to him again and once again, she gave him smart ass comments. She wasn't scared of him. He was a lousy Psychiatrist if he allowed her to rattle him like this. 

And he was getting mad. 

He even attempted to ask her about her scars and she shut down, glaring at him. She wouldn't answer any questions at all after his attempts to get her to say anything. 

"So there's a rumor going around that Eddie Gluskin is now threatening other patients if they touch you or harm you, he will kill them. What do you think about it? What do you think he's doing?" The doctor tried again. 

Ash frowned, making a face but shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't you ask him? Aren't you supposed to be his psychiatrist too? You think I'm supposed to know what goes on in someone else's head?" She asked a little smartly. 

McGree huffed as he gave her a look before he reached over and tapped a button on his desk, which just admitted a low beep. He was obviously getting frustrated with her. 

Ash would have smirked in amusement but the door opened and her face fell and her blood went cold when Jeremy Blaire walked in and he wasn't alone. 

The man behind him was tall, maybe even taller than Eddie Gluskin and he was sure skinny as hell. His bones were showing through his rubber like skin and there was a lot of skin showing, due to the fact that he only wore a worn brown leather apron. 

And only an apron.

The man, however, sent a shudder through Ash. She took one look at him and knew he was bad. 

He looked more like a walking dead man but with energy because he didn't seem slow at all. He was probably an older man, perhaps in his 60's due to the partial grizzled long hair he had trailing down his back and the top was balding. He was muscular, there was no doubt about that and it showed because he wore no shirt, showing massive amounts of scars. 

It was obvious he also did self surgery because he looked like fucking Frankenstein and certainly no doctor would ever perform this badly on someone. The guy was a wreck and terrifying to look at.

"So, Miss Peacock, still with the attitude, huh?" Blaire asked coldly before motioning to the Psychiatrist to leave, who did without complaint. 

The fear grew in Ash as she looked between Blaire and the crazy looking guy. 

"This is Rick Trager, Ashton. He used to be a part of our Business Development department but....well, he prefers pretending to be a doctor." Blaire said smirking at her. "However, he is still useful to us and we do allow him to practice now and then. Trager, this is your patient of the day." 

Trager moved forward and Ash cringed away butnhe ignored that as he began looking her over. "Huh, so this is Peacock's kid sister, eh?" He spoke with a nasally like voice. "Heh, such a pretty face. It would be a shame if we cut it off."

Cold, absolute fear ran through Ash as she looked up at Trager. She noted that he seemed to have one eye under a monocle but the other.. ..she couldn't tell ofnit was an eye or something cybernetic. 

Without a word or warning, Trager lashed out and snatched her chin, making her gasp and cry out in pain because his grip was not gentle at all. He just forced her mouth open and peered inside. 

"Hm. Good teeth. I can make some new dentures with those. Of course, that mouth, looks pretty sweet. I can think of something to put into it, eh, Jerry?" He asked in a snarky voice and Ash was pretty sure he winked at Blaire. 

The fear tripled for Ash as she tried to jerk away but she felt sharp finger nails digging into her chin andnif she kept trying, she probably was going to get cut. Those nails did not feel short at all. 

"Maybe some other time, Trager." Blaire said more amused than anything else. 

Trager sniggered to himself before he used his other hand to hold up something he had been concealing and to Ash's alarm, it was a ball gag, which he proceeded to shoving into her mouth. 

She gagged and tried to scream out but it kept her from doing so. 

Behind, Blaire, himself reached over and did the straps to keep it tight in her mouth. 

"Sorry, sweetie. But you look like a screamer and I don't want to listen to you bitch and moan." Trager said as he finally dropped his hands right onto her chest and making her whimper as her eyes grew wider with fear. 

Especially when he undid her patient uniform and peeled back the fabric to reveal her bare chest. 

"Nice tits." Trager said in such a disgusting way that had Ash now thrashing in the chair and attempting to scream as he touched her and began examining her breasts, giving them a squeeze. "Nice and firm. What do ya think, Blaire? Size 38 C?" 

And to Ash's growing horror, Blaire actually looked down at her, smirking coldly. "Nah. 36 D at least. Looks like they're good for squeezing though." He ignored her as he bent over from behind, his hands trailing down her shoulders and over her breasts, touching her. "Yeah, size 36 C." 

Ash choked on the ball gag and now had tears trailing down her cheeks as she thrashed against her restraints. 

It didn't help when Blaire leaned over close to her ear. "I fucking warned you if you kept up the attitude, this would happen. Now you're lucky though. We're not going to revist.....penetration memories but you do need a full body physical and Trager, here, he's going to check you. Now if you're good, we won't strip you completely. But if not.....well.....you're not going to fucking like it." His dark eyes went straight to the amused smirk on the former doctor's face. "I'll make sure she doesn't move too much. Go on with your examination." 

"Love to, buddy." Trager said as he grabbed the sides of the chair and forced it and Ash to turn so he could begin grabbing at her pants. 

Ash was screaming against the ball gag now and tryingnto thrash against her restraints. She was shaking her head violently but Blaire from behind grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. 

She couldn't see what Trager was doing but she sure felt it as she felt him open her pants and his wandering hands began touch her hips and then sliding into her underwear. 

Squeezing her eyes shut, she didn't want to see but she sure as hell felt as he pulled down her underwear and began touching her. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt her body jerk as he began pushing his spindly, sharp nails into her, rubbing her in a way that she absolutely hated. She began sobbing hard and shaking as she felt him pushing further in and further until it really hurt. 

"Well, she ain't a virgin, that's for sure. Sure I can't take her for a spin, buddy ol' pal? I really like the feel of this cunt." Trager snickered nastily. 

"Not this time, Trager. Just a physical." Blaire said above her before leaning down over her and tugging her hair hard to force her eyes open. 

She did not like the look in his eyes. She had seen that look before many times by her mother's clients when they.....when they did the very same thing this sick doctor was doing.

"Besides, if anyone gets to take her for a spin, I think it would be the top of the chain first, don't you think?" Blaire asked andnhis voice was rather hard. 

There was no doubt he was getting aroused by this torture they were making her go through. 

"Tch, greedy asshole." Trager grumbled before yanking his fingers back out, making Ash whimper sharply as he obviously scratched her inside. "Well, unless I'm allowed to sink in there, myself, not much we can do." 

Blaire just looked down at Ash, who was trembling visibly in the chair before he let go of her hair and reached down to brush his fingers against her inner thighs, though covered it up as he redid her patient unform and patted her breasts. 

"I think she got the fucking idea now that if she keeps it up, we might consider that at a later date. Until then, you're dismissed. Thanks, Rick. I'll keep you posted if we need you to another physical." Nlaire said, now patting Ash on the shoulders. 

Trager just lifted his hand and stuck his fingers into his mouth as he turned and started to leave. "Well, then I'm going to go jack off in my cell now because now I'm hard." He said bluntly. 

Ash just trembled in the chair as she felt like she was in slight shock from this whole thing. It gave Blaire time to remove the ball gag and then grab the back of her hair again. She just whimpered, flinching as she tried to cringe away from. 

"Final fucking warning, Ash. Keep up the attitude and I'll do it myself. Because Trager isn't the only one who knows how to do physicals. And I'm really hoping you're stupid enough to act up again." Blaire growled into her ear before letting her go and pressing the button on the desk. 

Guards came in and they were ordered to return her to her cell. 

As soon as she was back in her cell, she climbed on her cot, curled into a tight ball and sobbed hard. It had been a long time since she had been touched. Too long but it definitely dragged up those memories she desperately didn't want to remember.

That night, she relived those nightmares of being back home with her mother. She had spent so many years trying to forget what her mother did to her, allowed her clients to do to her. And now, those memorieswere coming back in full force.

Ash wanted her big brother now. She now wanted to go home.


	7. Never Forget

"Koala, wake up." 

She groaned in protest as she felt someone shaking her on that hard mattress. She didn't want to wake up. She knew if she woke up, bad things would happen to her.

"Come on, Little Koala bear. I need you to wake up." She heard someone whispering so quietly. 

Her eyes slowly opened as she groaned and whimpered but she finally looked up into the darkness and saw someone leaning over her. 

She would have cried out but a warm, familiar hand lightly pressed against her mouth and he leaned forward where light was barely touching his face. She knew that face and it brought tears to her eyes. 

Her big brother was here. 

"Julien......" she whispered as she sat up finally, now reaching up to touch his face, though weakly. 

Her brother smiled faintly as he leaned into her touch and even ran his fingers through her own disheveled blonde hair, as if to straighten it out from being so natty. "Hey, Little Koala. I need you to keep quiet. No words and listen to me. You listen to your big brother now, all right?" He whispered. 

The tiny framed 9 year old girl that she was just nodded. 

Her brother, age 18 at the time, just shifted his weight on the hard wood floor as he knelt on her bed beside her. "Koala Bear, I need you to stay as quiet as you can. I'm leaving home and I'm taking you with me. We're leaving." He whispered. 

She frowned, fear now growing inside of her as she looked up at her big brother. "Wh-what? But we can't. We can't leave. Mama would be so....." she whispered now frantic. 

Julien shook his head as he grabbed her small, ratty blanket and began pulling it around her small frame before scooping her up into his strong arms. "I don't care that bitch would be mad. She's not our mother. Mothers don't do this to her kids. And I'm not going to let her keep doing this to you. It's sick and wrong, Koala Bear. We're going. Both of us. I've got a passage right out of here and I'm taking you with me." He whispered before he hugged her close to his body and began to slowly creep out. 

The house, or rather shack was dark and quiet other than the loud fog horn snores that could be heard further in. 

She just curled into her brother's arms, whimpering a little from pain her back. Her back still hurt from the whipping her Mama gave her for being bad. She had told her to stop screaming as one of her clients was doing what he came for but she hadn't listened. 

It didn't help that her wrists hurt too from the rope burns. The rope burns that bled with lousy bandages on them. 

She looked up at her big brother as he crept through the house, his face set in stone and determination. He was looking around as he carefully stepped around beer bottles that laid everywhere on the floor. 

He was nearly to the swinging door when he heard movement. 

And the light turned on, blinding both siblings. 

He turned with a jerk and both of them saw Mama standing there, looking like hell as always. She was wearing her raggy and worn night gown that didn't cover up her legs very well. Curlers in her graying blonde hair and her make up was smeared everywhere on her face. 

She looked surprised as they did. 

"Julien, what the fuck are you doing here?!" She had snapped. 

Her big brother just took one look at his mother, his lips curled back into a snarl before he shifted his little sister in his arms, making her wrap her legs around his waist. 

"What are you doing with your sister?! Put her back into bed! She needs to sleep! She's got a client coming in around noon and he's got her for four hours!" 

He just leaned his head closer to his little sister's, his arms tightening around her. "Anaconda squeeze, Little Sister." He said softly. 

She inhaled sharply but did as her brother told her. She tightened her grip around him, hugging him as tight as she could. 

And Julien turned around as fast as he could, bolting towards the door. He just turned and ran with his arms tightly around her. 

Their Mama screamed in alarm and rage as she tried to chase after them, stepping on a beer bottle and going down as it had rolled under her foot so she went down. 

But Julien ran with his little sister out into the outback and didn't stop running. 

******************************************************

A loud bang was what jolted Ashton out of her deep sleep and she flinched as she jerked out of the dream she was having of their escape from home. 

Sadly enough, she went from one hell into another as she looked around her cell and remembered that she was in Mount Massive Asylum. She groaned, now placing her hands on her face and rubbing at it. 

There were more banging and she turned a squinted glare towards the door when it opened. The guards had been banging on her door, trying to get her to wake up. 

It was time for the morning to begin.

Blaire must have really liked torturing her because as soon as she was up and going, the guards dragged her down to the cafeteria and shoved her into a room full of male patients where they were eating what should have been healthy foods for patients but sloppy oatmeal that was too dry. 

But nonetheless, she was in a room full of male patients and they were staring at her. 

Curling into herself, Ash stayed against the wall, peering back at them as she walked to the back of the room with eyes still following her.

She was trembling as she found herself tucked away in the corner, where she sat down facing everyone. She knew it probably wasn't the greatest idea to trapping herself in a corner but she didn't want her back facing any of them. 

Some of those looks she was getting however were so intense that she had to drop her gaze, grimacing as her stomach gurgled at her. She couldn't remember when the last time she ate. She had been eating in her cell. The guards normally brought her this slop. 

But it seemed that Blaire really wanted to put the fear of God in her. 

Suddenly a bowl of oatmeal was placed down right in front of her, startling her and she flinched to look at it before jerking her head up. 

And her blood ran cold again when she met those cool blue eyes of Eddie Gluskin. 

She could have sworn her heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat, choking her. She felt everything lock up as he stood over her, looking right down into her own terrified eyes. 

Gluskin stared right back at her before raising his eyes around the room, glaring at all that had been staring at her and as if that had been a signal, everyone went back to what they had been doing. 

However, he stepped to the side, two seats away and sat down near her.

Ash stared at Eddie Gluskin as he sat rather rimrod straight near her, her breathing coming up sharply to remind her she needed to breath. She was shaking as she just sat there. 

"I wish to apologize for how I behaved the other night. If I had known you were a woman, I wouldn't have hurt you." He suddenly spoke up. 

Again, she flinched but this time frowned, now confused. 

And he turned his head to look right back at her, and his eyes met hers again

Honestly she didn't know what it was but she suddenly felt very calm and maybe it was because he was calm. He didn't seem.....out of it. He was tensed, she saw that much because of how rimrod straight he was and she could tell by his muscles but his eyes....they were calm.

He didn't look or sound crazy and that menacing look wasn't in his eyes, which were still pretty intense to look into.

But she felt calm slowly ebbing its way through her. 

Reaching up to rub at her arms, Ash leaned only slightly away from him but made a face as she looked at him. "Wh.....why did you? I was.....I was trying to help you and you.....turned on me." She found herself murmur. 

A rather tight smile formed on Eddie's face as he flicked his eyes up as if he was thinking about it. But he finally coaxed himself into a more relaxed state and tapped his long fingers against the table. 

"Hm. Well," he began slowly. "You see, when Jeremy Blaire and several Murkoff guards gets bored, sometimes they play a game with the patients. They allow us to try and escape and then they track us down." He said and did sound wary. 

Ash frowned, disgust now forming on her face as she listened to that. "They trap you, you mean?" She asked, it showing in her tone. 

Eddie Gluskin nodded only once. "I thought it was a trick. I've played their foolish game before. I thought you were one of them. Playing Blaire's stupid game." He told her. 

Understanding fully now, Ash slowly nodded but still felt uneasy with him. She knew what she wanted to ask now but she wasn't sure if she should. She really didn't want to anger him but she was curious. "Why.....why did you help me in the yard? And the rumor.....are you....?" She was asking. 

"Threatening everyone that if they touch you I would kill them? Yes. That's true. I did and I am." Eddie spoke up now turning fully towards her, even if it made her stiffen. He locked his fingers together in front of him and didn't move again. "Why I helped you, it isn't because of what I know the guards are saying. I have no intention to harming you again." 

Ash made a face as she drew back a little confused but she did feel more relaxed. "Why? Isn't that....your thing? Why you....were locked.....up?" She asked now painfully wincing. 

And what she didn't expect was him smiling and chuckling as he finally reached up and scratched his chin. 

"Yes, that is the story, is it not?" He said now amused. 

"You......didn't?" Ash asked slowly as she now turned to face him. 

The killer shrugged. "Technically speaking, I killed one woman. But was blamed for sixteen women's murders. They say I am a Serial Killer and perhaps I am now that I am in Mount Massive Asylum but outside of these walls, I only killed three people. One was not my choosing. Two deserved it." He stated. 

Now looking bright eyed, Ash leaned forward, her curiosity now completely in play. She felt a story when she heard it and her journalistic side was peaked. "What really happened?" She asked now in awe. 

That brought a smile to Eddie Gluskin's face as he tilted his head. "You're a journalist, aren't you?" And he chuckled when Ash drew back in surprise. "You act like one without meaning to. You ask questions and when you get answers, you have more questions to get more answers. Usually when other people hear the words Serial Killers, they draw back and do not want to be sitting next to one. Even if they say they are not Serial Killers. You, on the other hand, draw in and have such a facinated look upon your face that you want to hear more. The sign of a journalist." And then, he held out a hand towards her, never minding her tensing up again. "Eddie Gluskin, and you are?" He asked.

Looking uneasily at his hand, Ash wondered if she should even try it. She wasn't sure what his angle was or what he would do. 

"I'm....Ashton. Everyone calls me Ash." She answered as curiosity won and she slowly reached out and took his hand, which he shook and then turned her wrist over, using his other hand to push her sleeve up to see her scars around her wrists. 

Ash tensed again. 

But those cool blue eyes only took in the scars and he even tilted his head to look at them, to examine them before finally releasing her hand, which she immediately tucked down into her lap. 

"You were bound at some point in your life. Bound tightly that it cut your skin and created scars." Eddie said so calmly as he looked at her. "Let's play us a game of 20 questions then. You ask a question and then I answer it. And then I ask you a question and you answer. Would you like to know the truth?" 

Ash felt a shaky breath come up as she rubbed her wrists, feeling the scars before she slowly nodded. "O-okay. Who goes first?" She asked timidly again. 

"You asked me what happened. So therefore you asked first. As it is, I did not kill all of the women I was blamed for. I killed one. I was not The Groom Killer that is what they called me. But I was there for some of the murders. The true killers were my father and my uncle." Eddie stated as he folded his hands together again. 

Ash looked wide eyed at him, not sure what to believe. 

"My question now. Who bound you so tightly that your wrists were cut and scarred?" Eddie asked his eyes boring into hers. 

Blinking rapidly, Ash had to tear her eyes away and she slowly brought her hands back above the table, pulling back her sleeves to see the ringed scars. She felt her anxiety kicking in and it did send a shudder through her. 

"I.....my.....my mother did." She finally said shakily. 

From a brief glance up at him, she did see his eyes hardening in deep thought. He obviously wanted to ask but was holding back.

"Your question?" He asked instead. 

Ash looked back at him, but not without being nervous. "Why.....why were you.....so You're.....you're not the killer who......" she then scowled as too many questions wanted to be blurted out. 

It seemed to amuse Eddie though as he now leaned against the table. "I was present when some of those women were killed. My father and uncle were.....not very kind men. It should have been obvious that it had been them. Everyone knew what kind of people they were and yet, they still think it was I, who killed those women." He stated and then tilted his head. "Why did your mother bound you?"

Ash was quiet for a long moment as she tried to think of how to answer that. She couldn't think of a short answer. 

So with a shaky breath, she looked at him. "I was born in Australia, outside of Darwin. Me and my older brother. My.....parents were a troubled couple. My dad.....he.....loved us. He loved my mother for a while. But even he knew her reputation. She was very well known as the Outback Whore." She told him, grimacing as his eyes hardened a little. "She.....slept around. A lot. For money becausewe were pretty poor people. We lived in a house outside of the city in the outbacks."

Eddie didn't say anything but watched her. 

Ash drew out a shaky sigh but looked down at the table. "My parents separated and my dad tried pretty hard to win custody for me and my brother, Julien. He got Julien but the Judge in charge of the case ordered I stayed with my mother." And her voice started to break. "I.....I......I was forced to become a child prostitute. My mama had to tie me to my bed to keep my from running away all of the time." She was trembling at this point. 

Only a brief glance up at him, Ash saw just how hard Eddie Gluskin's face became as he glared holes into the table. He didn't even look at her but it was obvious, he brief story about herself angered him. 

"Um......" She tried to think of her next question. 

"Finish your story and I'll tell you mine." Eddie spoke, and his voice was hard. 

Ash looked up at him, her eyes feeling wet but she slowly nodded. She couldn't think of a question now any way. Not with her mind back in the past where she really didn't want it to be. 

"I.....uh, it started happening when I was five. After my parents divorced. I was.....with my mom and she started inviting.....clients to the house." Ash said with a shaky voice. "She......didn't want me in the rooms where was.....um......she locked me in my room most of the time. To keep me out of the way. She didn't want her clients to see me. The noises they made....." her voice trembled. "It scared me. I couldn't sleep because she was......serving her clients. But then one night, she forgot to lock the door and one of her clients found his way into my room." 

Her face scrunched up in pain as she trembled and wrapped her arms around herself. "He offered her a lot of money just to touch me. And she got it in her head that I was young, cute, fresh. She began selling me to her clients." She curled into herself a bit more. "At age 5 up to 8, I was only supposed to be a warm up the clients girl. After 8, a client, a pedophile wanted more than touching. And he paid a lot for it. He paid a lot of money for my.......virginity." she stated and she was shaken by even saying all of this. 

Gluskin didn't speak for a long moment but glared at the table. If looks could burn, the table would be on fire. 

"It was my father and uncle who molested me." He finally spoke up after a moment and he turned to look at Ash's now wet eyes. "Looks like we have something in common. We were victims of sexual abuse." He said in a dark voice.

Ash frowned at him, still trembling but then looked down at the table. "Well, it got worse before it got better. My dad died when I was 8 and I wasn't allowed to go to the funeral. So Julien, who was now out of high school came to visit us instead." She grimaced as she remembered just how angry her brother had gotten. "He walked in and found mama entertaining some clients and I was screaming in my room. He was so mad that he beat the living hell out of the client for.....being on top of me. Mama got a restraining order on him so he couldn't come back. He tried telling everyone but no one believed him. And if they did, they were connected to her clients so no one helped us. One night, he came in the middle of the night and took me. He rescued me even though it's kidnapping to them." 

Eddie looked at her, his eyes lighter. "He sounds like a good man." He said simply. 

Ash, shaking, just nodded. "He is. He loved me and so did my dad but he didn't know what was going on before he died. If he would have known what she would have done, he would have fought harder to get me away from her." She said, her voice breaking. "Julien and I had to flee Australia. Because she kept trying to get me back. If I had stayed, I wouldn't be here. Julien fled with me and we came to America to escape. I don't know what happened to her and I honestly don't care. My brother raised me. He got help and made sure I wasn't sick from what was done to me. I got lucky because I didn't have any STDs or anything. He took care of me, protected me." She told him. 

Slowly, Eddie nodded before inhaling. "I am from a small town in Iowa." He began. "My mother was a seamstress. It was a family business and She had grown up in her family'sshop. She would make some of the most lovely dresses for ladies and handsome suits for the lads." Even as he spoke he sounded like he was rather fond of his memory. "She loved making wedding gowns the most. She met my father, whom was a farmer's son outside of town and somehow she fell in love with him." 

Ash finally folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. She was already facinated by his words as he spoke. He sound rather fond of his mother.

"They married and had me." Eddie continued. "For the first 9 years of my life, I believed I was well loved and it was a perfect life. I would help my mother in her dressing shop and she did teach me how to sew and knit. My father wanted me to help put around our farm house but my love was for tailor work. It was perfect." 

Ash couldn't help but smile faintly. It sounded perfectly good so far but she knew there was a huge but in there. 

Eddie's face eventually grew dark. "But then she died suddenly. It came as a shock for me. I didn't know what happened but later I did find out that my father killed her and it was because of my uncle, his brother. He started to come around and my mother didn't like him. He had been in and out of jail so many times that she didn't want him around. Especially with me. He was a suspected child molester." 

This brought the frown to Ash's face as she listened. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. 

And as if sensing her thoughts, Eddie nodded. "He started touching me when I turned 9. Making vulgar passes about me. Grabbing at me. My mother finally snapped and complained to my father. I was at school when I recieved word that she tripped down the stairs of our home." His voice grew harder.

"She was pushed." Ash said, even her voice hard.

"Thrown down the stairs, actually. She broke her neck and died." Eddie told her before exhaling. "After her funeral, I was trapped with my father and my uncle. Well.....things grew drastically from there. I was so upset that I didn't want to do very much. Not even the farm work. I stayed all day and night, sewing. It became too much for my father to handle thatnhe believed I needed to become a man and therefore my abuse began. Need I say more?" 

Ash slowly shook her head. She could have asked for the details but she did remember that he was here in a mental hospital for a reason. And it wasn't just because he was a known killer. 

"I'm not going to make you tell me. I think I can get the idea." She told him. 

That got a grateful smile from Eddie Gluskin for it. "Well, here is the thing that no one seems to be able to piece together. I was 12 or 13 when the murders began. Women being raped and brutally murdered and mutilated. And yet somehow I was the one who took the blame for all of them. In the ten years of being assaulted by my father and uncle, up to myself becoming 21 years old, there had been 15 murders of women." He told her. "The 16th woman was the one I killed." 

Ash frowned, her blood chilling again as she watched his face. 

"I will not deny that I was a timid man by then. Afraid of my father and my uncle because of everything they did to me. On my 21st birthday, they hired a prostitute believing I needed a woman." His face darkened at the mere thought. "A slut and a whore." 

Ash grimaced as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

"I didn't want her. I didn't want to partake in such vulgar activities any more. I refused the woman and was beaten for it. But then before my very eyes, my uncle tied her down, gave me a knife and forced me to take her life." Eddie told her, his voice very hard. "Both he and my father admitted to me that they had been killing the women and they wanted me to help them. They wanted to continue their work as a killer of women. I refused and when they tried to beat me fornit, I killed them." 

He looked right at Ash with such a look that it did send chills down her spine. 

"I will not deny that I am not stable in mind. That night, a part of my mind did snap. I did have a mental break down when I ran and was found covered in her blood. And my father's blood and uncle's blood. Therefore I was caught and blamed for the murders of all 16 women." Eddie told her. "Because of my mentality have been broken by that heinous crime, I was forced to plead insanity and I was taken to a Murkoff controlled facility and later brought here." 

It couldn't be helped that Ash did feel some part of her felt bad for him. If he was telling the truth, he didn't kill because he wanted to.

He killed because he was forced to and it was self defense. 

"So.....why is everyone afraid of you? If....well...." Ash began. 

Eddie Gluskin looked right at her with a rather chilled look but she didn't feel threatened by it. He then looked around the room at the other patients. "If you haven't noticed, this place is filled with rapists and murderers and the worst sort of people, including the staff of Murkoff. I learned a long time ago that you have to incite fear to get people to leave you alone. To be afraid of is to be safe." He told her in a low voice. "I have murdered 58 other patients and Murkoff staff members in my time here." He told her. 

Ash shuddered feeling the fear rising again. She had to lean away from him this time. 

He noticed but didn't seem offended. He instead tilted his head towards her. "My turn to ask. Why did you come here?" He asked in a low voice. 

Ash glanced at him but looked atound at the other patients in the room. "I'm an Independent Journalist for a secret company that exposes nasty secrets. Murkoff knows about us but they don't know who we are. I came here because I wanted to destroy Murkoff. I wanted to expose them. To help the patients here. I knew about the Engine because of my brother. He's.....he was Murkoff before he realized just how bad they were. He tried to expose them when here and they tortured him for it. He escaped with his life, believed to be dead but he's not. He didn't want me to come here to get pictures of what they were doing to all of you. But I begged him to let me. I ignored his stories and wanted to come and here I am." She told him. 

"Simon Peacock." Eddie suddenly growled out the name and it alarmed her. He was looking dark at the name. "There was only one Murkoff that I knew of protesting rather loudly about things done to us. Even when he harmed a lot of us, myself included." 

His very words and tone made Ash regret saying anything at all. Because his tone was scaring her. She even leaned away from him, her arms growing tight aroynd her. 

But slowly, the anger in his face left and he relaxed, she did not. 

"How did someone so sweet like you have a brother like that?" Eddie asked. 

Ash made a face. "He's a good guy, Eddie. He wants to help end Murkoff. I don't know what he did when he was here. He wouldn't tell me. But I do know he regrets it. He's working really hard to end them. End all of this and free all of you from them." She told him.

Eddie shook his head as he looked at her. "At what end? What would happen if you do successfully end Murkoff?" He asked rather blankly. 

"You get real help. You get actual Psychiatric help. Real therapy, not bullshit ones. I'll make sure of it. I promise." Ash said before holding up her hand and extended her pinky. 

The man frowned, now drawing back. "What is that supposed to be?" He asked now confused. 

Ash couldn't but smirk before she took the chance, reached over for his hand and lift it up. And with that, she linked their pinkies together, making him frown. "Pinky promise. The most sacred of promises. " she told him.

That earned a weird look from Eddie Gluskin but then he cracked a smile and a short laugh. "You are very odd in deed, Darling. That's rather silly, don't you think?" He asked as he finally dropped his hand. 

Ash, for the first time, smiled and laughed as she shrugged. "I happen to take my pinky promises very seriously, Mr. Gluskin. When I pinky promise, I intend to keep it. And I pinky promise to help you in every way I can. I will get you out of this shithole and get you real help." She told him rather proudly. 

He made a face but smiled. "You are rather vulgar, you know?" He told her but amused. 

Ash shrugged. "Considering I was raised by my brother, it's kind of hard not to be. But I'm curious. You don't seem.....unstable right now." She said frowning now narrowing her eyes slightly. "You seem.....normal." 

Frowning thoughtfully, Eddie folded his arms. "I think you're to blame for it." He simply said. 

Ash frowned right back, tilting her head. "Me?" She asked confused. 

"Up until now, I have never been more clear headed." Eddie admitted. "Even before coming here and the murders. My mind was always in shambles." He narrowed his own eyes and leaned towards her, looking right in the eyes, even as she drew back a little. "But there is something about your eyes. The very moment I saw your eyes that night, I felt as if a fog had lifted and my mind cleared." 

Making a face and blinking a little rapidly, Ash just frowned. She didn't understand. 

But it seemed someone did because neither one had noticed someone approaching, yet very cautiously because of Eddie Gluskin. 

"The eyes are windows to the soul. Perhaps, you see her pure soul, Eddie." An older voice spoke up. 

Ash tensed as she looked at the man who had approached while Eddie Gluskin groaned, rolling his eyes as he turned and glowered at the short, pudgy sort of man who looked very much like a priest. 

"Father Martin." He just grumbled in greeting.


	8. Patient Talk

"Do you know it's rude to eavesdrop on a conversation that has nothing to do with you, old man?" Eddie glowered at the short man. 

The old man just smiled as he approached them but rather cautiously. "I do, but I was like everyone else. I'm curious about our new lost child. It has been a long time since even I have seen a girl among these dreadful walls." He said in a soft voice.

Ash had only glanced the man over, noticing his worn, aged skin. He was balding if not completely bald with mere whisps of white hair but his aged eyes, droopy as they may be did have a kindness in them. He was far shorter than Eddie was and he wore black dyed straight jackets fashioned into a priest's outfit. 

But her eyes immediately went to the two giants that were following him and she curled into herself in growing fear. 

Twins, she could already tell. 

They were large in body with unusual large heads and a little deformed. They did have rippling muscles and probably could break her into two with ease. 

Both twins were pale, muscular, and hairy middle-aged men who completely lack shirts to show off their wide chests. They did have scars on the sides of their stomachs, making it likely they were conjoined before splitting up, Ash realized. The scars were almost identical as they were.

The taller twin had a hump-shaped head with a neutral face and missing teeth, having dark brown hair everywhere but the top of his head. 

The shorter twin looked much the same, but has a sterner face and messy black hair covering his entire head. But both had dark brown eyes that held intelligence but yet.....hunger.

A hunger that scared her. 

Especially when those eyes were roaming all over her as they stood over the priest. 

Eddie must have sensed her growing fear and turned a glare onto the twins, growling at them as he held up an arm in between her and the three who had approached. "Why did you bring them over here?" He growled out. 

The priest merely twisted his head to look up at the two behind him before frowning at them, as if scowling at naughty children. "Dresie, Casie, stop that. You are terrifying the poor child." He scowled as he even noticed them looking Ash over with hunger.

"She looks......sweet." The shorter one said calmly.

"I want her liver." The taller one said just as calm. 

"Yours." 

"Mine." 

Ash's eyes widened in fear and she suddenly grabbed at Eddie's arm, now holding it to her like a teddy bear. She was absolutely certain that these two probably ate people and they were certainly talking about eating her.

Eddie gnashed his teeth and glared even harder at the twins as he pressed his arm against her. "You will not!" He growled, gaining some looks from other patients. 

The priest, however, scowled as he turned to face the twins. "No, they will not. Boys, be kind. She's already terrified as it is. She is the only female in this horrid place. We must be kind to her. She must have been sent by our Lord, as.....an angel." He said as if scolding children. "She looks as if she is an Angel, does she not?" 

Ash was trembling as she clutched onto Eddie, her heart hammering in her chest. She eyed both of them as they eyed her. "I.....I have a brother. Like yo-you." She said shakily making all look at her. "I.....I mi-miss him. If yo-you were separated from each other, wo-would you miss each other?" 

Honestly she didn't know what brought her to say that but she hoped those words that blurted out would ease the tension. 

The twins just stared calmly at her before they both looked at one another in unison, not showing any other emotion but blankness. 

"She is sweet." 

"Innocent." 

"She has a brother." 

"Like us." 

"I don't want her liver." 

"Nor I." 

"Should she be ours?" 

Ash just blinked and she even saw Eddie make a face at their choppy words. 

"Yes. Little sister." 

"Little sister." 

The twins looked back at Ash, calmly. "You shall be," the short one began. 

"Our little sister now." 

"No one will," 

"Harm you. Otherwise, we will eat their tongue." 

"And their liver." 

And then they went quiet and just stood there.

Father Martin chuckled before looking at the looks on both Ash's and Eddie's faces, his hands folded together. "Well looks like you were just adopted by the Twins. One more addition of protection you already seem to have. I think that sadistic joke who calls himself doctor may find it harder to touching you again." He said gently. 

Ash stiffened and she felt Eddie had too. Her mind immediately went to the doctor who seemed buddy buddy with Blaire. 

"Y-you know....about that?" She whimpered. 

Eddie turned his head to look to look at her and the look he had was dark but she had a feeling it was not directed to her.

Father Martin forced a sad smile towards her and dipped his head into a nod. "I'm afraid Trager was boasting about it this morning. He is rather loud about his perversity. He has stated he has had the opportunity of touching the forbidden flower. Truly disgusting, that man. It makes me sick that he would boast about such things. And especially to such a child like yourself. I truly wish that these savages who calls us our caretakers and prison guards would be rid of him. What was Blaire thinking of allowing it?" He said rather sadly.

Ash shuddered as her eyes dropping as she finally let go of Eddie'sarm and wrapped her own around herself. She didn't dare to say that it was Blaire who egged Trager on.

But the fact was, Trager was talking about it. So what would that do? Would it egg others to trying it too? She was the only woman in this place and she had already been harrassed by some of the male patients. 

Her eyes flicked up to the dark look on Eddie's face and she grimaced only a little. She knew that he was threatening a lot of them to leaving her alone. 

But there was only so much that......? 

Suddenly, someone walked up and held up a bright red apple right in front of her face, surprising her and even Eddie Gluskin. 

They both looked up to see a new patient and quite a grisly looking one. 

He was definitely a much older man, quite tall with a mass of matted hair around his head and a long grisly beard. He was very thin and worn with many wrinkles of his age. He wore the usual patient uniform but there was something eerie about him.

Ash stared up at him in alarm but then slowly looked at the apple in his spider like hands, her stomach gurgling at the very sight of it. She felt herself blush as she knew the men around her probably heard it. 

"Here, girly. Eat this instead of that shit they shovendown our gullets." The new man spoke, his voice very deep and growling like. 

"That's unusually kind of you, Frank." Father Martin said though pleased. "Though it surprises me you have that. Did you steal it?" 

"Nope. Guard gave it to me." The man, Frank growled out before lightly tossing the apple up and right into Ash's hands as she quickly caught it. "After I told him I would eat his fingers if he didn't give it to me. Giving it to Missy, 'ere." 

Ash held the apple in both hands but smiled faintly as she looked at the man. She did pause to think about it, about his words and while it did scare her, she couldn't help but be grateful. "Th-thank you. You're.....The Cannibal, I'm guessing? Judging by your words." 

The man just nodded giving her a lop sided grin. "Yep. I like my red meat. But no worries. You're a little scrawny for my tastes and I don't care for sweet meat. I like 'em bitter and cruel. The meaner they are, the better they taste to me." He then held out a hand. "Frank. Frank Manera." He growled out. 

Ash hesitated but then sighed as she took his hand and allowed him to shake hers. She was just glad he let go and didn't decide to bite her like she thought he might do. 

"And don't ya worry, none, Missy. Trager ain't gonna touch ya again." Frank grunted out. 

Ash frowned as she looked up at him, frowning. "Why....do you say that?" She asked. 

"Because I already took a bite outta him for what he was sprouting out. He's in the infirmary now." Frank growled out and everyone was looking at him in surprise, minus the twins because they just looked blank. 

"Frank, you did what?" Eddie asked but there was a growing smirk onnhis face. 

Frank just grinned with a shrugged. "He wouldn't shut up about the little Miss, here. So I made him shut up. I bit his bottom lip off. Probably gonna head down to Isolation for it but, hey. It was worth it. He ain't getting it back. It's already down here." He patted hisnstomach. 

Ash grimaced, feeling a little nauseous at the very thought. But she was also confused. "Wh-why would you.....?" She was asking. 

Frank shrugged, folding his long thin arms. "One, ya don't belong here, Missy. Everyone knows and sees that. Even us, nutballs. You ain't crazy and you're innocent. And while some of us would take advantage of that, some of us wouldn't. Two, you're Death's sister. Ain't no one stupid enough to fuck with Death's sister." He grunted. 

Everyone frowned but looked surprised though Eddie had tensed and moved only slightly closer to her.

Ash frowned in confusion. "Death?" She asked uneasily. 

"That is what everyone called Simon, my dear." Father Martin spoke up as he looked right at her. "I would tread carefully about letting anyone else know that you're his sister. Not many of us are fond of him. Even myself. But we have heard what he said before Murkoff forced him into the Underground lab. Simon made quite a few enemies while he was here, patients and not patients. It would be wise to not repeat that you are related to him." 

"Death Walking is what we say about him." Frank growled before tapping his nose with a thumb. "He had more people scared of 'em than anyone else here. When he walked in a room, it meant someone was gonna die. He made a lot of enemies, as the priest said. A few people know who you are, they'll hurt ya to get to him."

Ash shuddered to hear this about her brother. She hadn't known what he did when he was here. But if he made a lot of people mad, and not in the insane way, she knew that rage could turn on her.

"So....none of you.....liked him?" She asked nervously. 

"I'm afraid not, Darling." Eddie spoke up looking at her. "As Frank has said, he did make a lot of people scared and angry at him. He was Death incarnate when he was here. Our selves included were not fond of him. But....in the end of his employ as Murkoff, he did try and help some of us. I was not one he tried to help but I do not hold it against him. He was not fond of me as I wasn't of him. But he did try to help Billy Hope."

Ash frowned at the name. "Billy Hope?" She asked. 

"William Hope is just a boy, the youngest man in the asylum." Father Martin said folding his hands together. "He was brought here for chronic depression and suicidal tendencies because of abuse his father laid upon him. He was not loved by his father and it made him rather upset." He stated. 

"He was a strange one, that I'll admit. But perhaps the favorite of all of us because you never see him in the halls any more. He spends most of his time down there." Eddie agreed, meaning the labs. "Father Martin is convinced he is God." He added with a scowl. 

Ash even had to make a face at that and looked at the priest. She didn't understand religious babble. It never really made sense to her so she wasn't exactly a believer. 

"I did not say he was God, Edward." Father Martin scowled. "I said he was the Lord and Savior who has come to free us from this place. He will guide us tonour salvation and lead us from the Darkness." 

Eddie just groaned, rolling his eyes and shakingnhis head. He wasn't a believer either judging by his actions. "What he is, Father Martin, is a lunatic, just like the rest of us who has been experimented on by Murkoff, where they created the monster that haunts the Asylum." He argued. 

"M-monster?" Ash asked confused. 

Everyone looked at her, realizing that she didn't knownwhat they were talking about. 

"Believe in ghosts, Missy?" Frank asked surprising her but she slowly shook her head. "You will once you see it floating around at night. Don't get it's attention though. It's got a tendency to rip people apart. Especially if it don't like ya." 

Ash just frowned as she looked around at them. She didn't knownif she couldn't believe this. She didn't believe in ghosts either. She didn't believe in God. But to hear that they seemed to, in some way, she made a face. 

"It's called the Walrider Project." Eddie spoke up seeing that look on her face. "I do not know what it is but it's real, Darling. I've seen it many times, myself. For a while, after Simon was gone, we did think it was him, come back to haunt us because when it made itself known. But then....well, we started to be placed inside the morphogenetic engine. That machine is what created it." He told her. 

The sparks were going off in her head again. There was a story here and she knew it was one that Murkoff probably didn't want out. She leaned forward, the spark in her eyes again.

And Eddie noticed it because he chuckled, shaking his head. "The journalist side of you is out yet again, Darling. Unfortunately I cannot tell you more than that. I just know that the Walrider can get into our heads because of the engine. We're placed inside the spheres and induced into a lucid dreaming state. Other than that, I'm not sure what happens. But we do see the Walrider. It gets into our heads." He told her. 

Ash frowned, a thoughtful look on her face. She took it all on but still didn't understand. "What exactly is the Walrider? What does it look like?" She asked. 

Eddie merely shrugged sharing a look with his fellow patients. "A black ghost. Though I am not sure what it really is. It buzzes like electricity when it's around. You hearnit coming before you see it. And to see it, well, even it makes me nervous." He told her. 

"Give it time. You will see our Lord and Savior." Father Martin and that made Eddie roll his eyes again. He just smiled tightly. "Edward, I know you do not believe in the holy word but sometimes it must be heard. And surely, she believes. "

Ash grimaced as the priest looked at her and shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't. I don't really believe in God or anything. I respect those who believe in religion but I don't believe in it. Everything I've been through in my life, I just find it hard to believe in a man in the sky watching over me. If he does exist, I can't say I'm happy with him. What kind of God would allow a mom to hurt her kids? Or allow all of this to happen to you?" She asked wincing in apology. She hoped she didn't offend the man. 

But Father Martin smiled at her before reaching over and gently patting her head. "I understand, my child. But I must ask you this. Did he not send you an Angel to save you and did he not send you to us?" He asked. 

Ash frowned as she took that in. She didn't know what to say to that. 

Father Martin just smiled before dropping his hand. "My dear, God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it doesn't make sense of what he does and sometimes it's very hard to understand his work. But I truly believe that he sent your brother to save you. And that he sent you to help us." He said gently. 

"I'm not....not doing a very job then since I'm trapped here too." Ash said uneasily. 

The priest just smiled before giving Eddie a pointed look. "Aren't you? Because as far as I can tell, Eddie isn't threatening anyone right at the moment. He usually doesn't even talk to us without words of violence." He stated before he turned and walked away with the twins behind him.

Ash frowned before looking at Eddie, who also shared a bewildered look as he glanced back.

Suddenly the alarms went off, making everyone jump and look around. Several patients began panicking andnguards were entering the room, armed. 

"All patients are to return to their cells! No one will be allowed to be in the halls! Return to your cells! If anyone is caught out of their cells, you will be punished and your privileges will be removed!" A guard ordered. 

Sighing, Eddie put the cold look he was becoming familiar with as he stood up. He shared a glance with Ash as she even started to stand. "Well, here we go. Back to hell then." He muttered under his breath. 

Ash nodded solemnly as she stood up and turned to follow the crowds out. 

But she was met with two guards, making stiffen. 

"Patient Ashton Peacock, you're to come with us. The warden wants a word with you." The guard said coldly. 

Behind her, she heard Eddie growl and start to move forward but she held up a hand to him, looking at him painfully and shaking her head. She really didn't want him getting into trouble. "It's okay. I'll be fine." She was sure she just lied to herself but what else could she do? 

But nonetheless, she went with the guards, feeling dread going through her the entire way. She knew she wasn't going to like this. 

And she was right when she got to Jeremy Blaire's office. She really did not like what was going to happen next. 


	9. Brutal Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter 
> 
> Trigger Warning:  
> Brutal, explicit non-con sexual assault

From the very moment Ash was lead into Blaire's office, she knew she was not going to like this at all. 

Especially with a very beaten man kneeling on the ground, his hands cuffed tightly behind his back and dressed in tactical gear. 

The man was an older gentleman with black, buzzed hair that was drenched in sweat and blood rinning down his chiseled face. He eyes were dark but right at the moment, one of them was puffy and red from obviously getting punched multiple times. He was a strongly built man but he definitely lost the fight with Murkoff guards. 

However, Ash felt a gasp catch in her throat. She knew this man. She had met him before coming here a while back. She knew some of the mercenaries that were employed by VIRALeaks. 

This man.....was one of her brother's men. 

Jeremy Blaire and six guards were standing over the man, glaring down at him until they looked at Ash as she looked painfully at the mercenary. 

"Ah, there she is. Miss Peacock, you have had a visitor come to see you. Snuck in through the same grate you did. Problem was, we have been watching that grate." Blaire said in quite a condescending tone before he clicked his fingers to the guards.

Suddenly Ash was seized making her cry out in fear as guards grabbed her arms and forced them outward. She whimpered as she was dragged forward towards Blaire, where another guard held up a straight jacket. 

Whimpers escaped from her as they forced her into it and began doing the straps. She was shaking but she didn't fight them because Blaire was giving her a look, daring her to act up. 

She didn't know why she was being put into a straight jacket and she knew she wasn't going to like the reason. 

The man on the ground was growling and did try to get up but he got knocked back down hard that he landed on his face and a guard stepped on his back to keep him from moving again. 

"You know who your visitor is?" Blaire demanded as he now moved forward to stand in front of her, even as she began shaking and tears falling down her cheeks as she looked wide eyed at the mercenary. 

She couldn't answer. She was too terrified to. 

Blaire didn't like that so he moved fast and back handed her, making her scream out as she almost toppled over. A guard caught her and kep her standing. 

"I asked you a question, Miss Peacock!" Blaire snapped as he grabbed the front of the straight jacket and shoved his face right in front of hers. "Do you know who he is?!" 

"Kyle! My name is Kyle!" The man yelled against the ground.

Blaire turned and gave the man a look before turning back to Ash, who was trembling violently as she looked up at him. "Is he one of your brother's men?" He asked coldly. 

"Yes! I am! Stop asking her! She doesn't know anything!" The man yelled trying to glare up at him. "She didn't know I was coming!" 

Blaire turned back to the man and moved over to him, glaring. "So after I warned him not to do anything, he did. He sent someone to come get her! And you fucked up, Kyle! You came during the day! And thought we wouldn't notice! Guess what! We did!" He spat and he marched back over to Ash and without another warning, slapped her. 

Again Ash screamed, falling back against the guards who caught her. 

"Stop it! Don't fucking touch her!" Kyle the Merc snarled now fighting to get up but got slammed down again. 

Ash began sobbing as she was set back on her feet and held tightly by the guards. 

Blaire just turned back to Kyle and held up a hand towards a guard, who had a phone. He immediately took it and began going through it. He found something that made him make a sarcastic look before pushing the button to dial. 

And of course, he put it on speaker. 

A moment later, someone answered and Simon's voice came out. "Kyle?" He said warily. 

"Nope, not Kyle, Julien! It's your old good pal! Now I don't know what you were thinking sending someone here but how's this for you?! Because of your stupidity, guess what's going to happen?!" Blaire snapped before looking at one of the guards. "We don't have room for a new patient, slit his throat and give his body to Manera!" 

Ash gasped, looking wide eyed at Kyle, who looked back at her. She felt her complete terror take over. She really hoped that Blaire was joking in a sadistic way. She really hoped that......

But no. 

The guard he spoke to, the one stepping on Kyle's back, took a knife from his belt and swooped down, grabbing the mercenary by the hair and ran that knife swiftly across his throat. 

She screamed as she watched blood spray across the floor and start to spread across the floor. She watched him gurgle and choke as he began to bleed out. 

It was like an explosion went off, her ears ringing and she couldn't hear anything as she stood there in shock. She heard muffled shouting but she couldn't hear the words. 

From a brief glance she saw that Blaire was yelling intonthe phone and she was sure she could hear her brother yelling back. He barely heard him through the phone. Her eyes just remained glued on the dying body in front of her. 

And then she got slapped, jumping her back to reality. 

She let out a pained scream as she stumbled and this time, no one caught her as she hit the ground. She had a hard time getting back up because of the straight jacket. 

But either way, she saw Blaire coming at her now and she tried throwing herself back as he bent over her. 

"I don't fucking care, Simon! I told you not to pull something! I don't give a fuck if I just said don't post any incriminating stories about Murkoff! It should have been implied to sending someone to breaking in here as well!" Blaire snapped before he looked around the room. "Everyone, out! Everyone but Harrison!" 

The guards just glanced around at each other but turned to leave. They all left, leaving Blaire and the guard standing over Ash as she laid trembling on the ground. 

"Blaire, do not do something that is going to piss me off!" She could hear her brother yell. 

Blaire just looked down at Ash, his eyes dark with rage. "Oh, I wouldn't be making threats, Simon. I'm currently standing over Ashy right here. And if I truly wanted to, I would end her misery right now. But here's a warning for you." He growled darkly. "If you send another fucking merc into Mount Massive Asylum, if I see one car full of armed soldiers, or anyone associated with VIRALeaks or anything, if I see anything or hear anything I don't like, I will fucking kill her! And you will never find her body!" 

He then held out the phone to the guard, who took it but didn't hang up. He just held it. 

"And now, you get hear her punishment for your fucking bullshit, Simon!" Blaire snapped as he turned and grabbed at Ash. 

Ash screamed in terror, flinching from his grasping hands. She tried getting away but there wasn't much she could do with her arms bound. 

Blaire grabbed her by her hips and yanked her towsrds him, forcing her onto front and taking a fist fulf of her pants and ripping down. 

Eyes growing wide, Ash screamed and tried to kick at the floor, to get away from Blaire but he was suddenly straddling her, pinning her down. "NO! NO! NO! PLEASE! STOP!" She screamed, thrashing to get out from under him. 

Grabbing a fist full of her hair, Blaire just shoved her face down against the hard wood floor as he reached down and unzpipped his own pants. 

Simon was yelling through the phone but Ash couldn't hear him over her own screams as she laid pinned to the floor. She tried thrashing but it wasn't any use. 

And without any warning at all, Blaire covered her and sank into her with a violent thrust, making her scream and cry. 

It hurt so bad. 

She felt him so quickly in between her buttocks and thighs so suddenly and he was quickly buried insidenof her, thrusting brutally with no mercy at all. She could only scream against the ground, her eyes tightly scrunched shut as felt him just slam his own hips against hers. 

He was brutal. Relentless and held her head pressed against the ground while he grunted above her. 

Her thighs felt like they on fire and it hurt so bad. She felt him sliding in and out, viciously. It ached and burned as he took her from behind and all she could do was cry out in pain. It did not feel good at all as she laid there, shaking in shock.

The guard just stood in the room, moving only a little closer with the phone so that the sounds were heard. Simon was swearing up a storm but it was obvious he knew what was happening to her. 

He swore to kill Blaire, though it seemed hopeless at this point. He was forced to listen to Blaire rapingnhis baby sister. 

Ash sobbed as she felt Blaire slamming hard into her. She whimpered with every thrust and felt so disgusted as she couldn't even fight back. She felt useless and used. She couldn't even fight back and it just sucked every bit of energy she had. 

Even as Blaire twisted her hips a bit to hit at other angles of inside of her, groaning as he went but still relentlessly and brutal. 

His groans and grunts and her whimpering was all that could be hesrd before he let out a strangled cry as he slammed his hips hard against hers, enough to bruise as he finally finished. 

Gasping and whimpering, Ash just laid there, shaking, her eyes scrunched tight from the pain that now came from between her thighs. She felt him slid out but she just laid there, shaking and in shock. 

Panting, Blaire got up off of her, zipped his pants up and snatched the phone from the guard. "How's that for you, Simon?" He growled, still trying to catch his bresth. "If you fucking do that again, I'm passing her around where she will be fucked over and over by myself, by the guards and why don't we add some patients as well. Your mum was the Outback Whore, Julien. Your sister is now the Mount Massive Whore! All thanks to you! Do it again! Piss me the fuck off again, Julien, and your sister will be fucked to death!" 

And with that, he hung up. 

Ash just curled into herself on the ground, twitching a d trembling as she laid in pain. 

"Take her down to the Isolation cells. She can remain down there, no lights for the day, no food. In fact, strap her to a bed. I'll discuss it with Andrew later of her going through the morphogenetic engine process. But from now on, she's everyone's stress relief." He growled before waving at the guard. 

Between that, Ash didn't really know what happened as she was gathered up by the guard and carried through the halls of the Asylum. 

She didn't really see anything but the blankness of her own mind, shock still spread all around her. She hurt so bad. Her body and her mind. She felt numb even as she was taken down to the labs and placed in a very dark cell where she didn't even fight as she was strapped down. 

She just.......was there but wasn't there.


	10. Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Three weeks of isolation. 

Sexually assaulted 19 times in that span of time; nine times by Blaire, himself, and more from guards who were sexually frustrated and even by a few nameless patients just to be cruel. 

It was a wonder why Ash didn't lose her mind, or rather lost everything else. 

She couldn't possibly say that she was okay after being assaulted 19 times in the span of three weeks. She numb to it by then. She stopped fighting it as she gotten beaten many times.

Most of the time, she just laid there as she was raped over and over again. There had been a few times where she got it down the throat too. 

But she stopped fighting it and allowed her body to be used. 

What use was it to fight? 

It just would be more painful if she struggled and fought. They would hurt her if she did. Blaire would hurt her. He did it anyway just to get her to scream. He seemed to like her scream as he pounded into her. 

Especially after the last time. 

He and another doctor did it this time, leaving her on the cold cot that was her bed in the isolation cell. She had been just laying there when she was forced to take it from behind and her mouth. 

And then they left her alone. 

Laying in the dark cell, cold, covered in filth and fluids, Ash sobbed her heart out. She cried a lot lately that her eyes were nearly puffy from shedding so many tears. Her whole body ached. She wished at this point, she would just die. She wanted to be dead. It meant no more pain and suffering. 

However when she drifted off to sleep, she heard it. The strangest sound she had ever heard. 

An electric buzzing. 

Ash didn't know how long she slept in her painful sleep but she had dreamed of her brother again, the night that he rescued her. She dreamt of him carrying her across rough terrain, running into the night. 

There were dogs behind them, barking and snarling and there were people shouting and screaming for the both of them to stop. For him to let her go back to their mother's house. They had yelled threats of what they were going to do to him once they caught him. And her. 

But Julien kept running, no matter how out of breath he had been, his arms tight around Ash. 

She was seeing it through her dream self's eyes. She was clutching to her brother, crying because she had been scared. 

And then she heard the buzzing getting louder, echoing around her and she looked to see where it was coming from. Her dream self gasped when she saw a dark shadow in the sky, watching them run. 

And she woke to it buzzing in her head, and all around her.

Something in the dark was touching her. 

Something cold and tingly was sliding against her skin and it made her frown as she tried to open her swollen eyes. 

She almost wished she hadn't when she finally did. 

Above her, as she laid on the cot, was a dark shadow, just hovering over her. 

A weak gasp broke out of her as she looked at it. She wasn't sure what it was. She just saw a humanoid figure, hovering over her in parallel. 

Something almost skeletal even. 

The thing....whatever it was, it was hovering over her, tilting what looked like a skull. It looked almost........curious. 

Before she knew it, her vision went dark. 

The dream continued from there. 

Her brother running into the night with her in his arms and she saw that thing there. She saw it watching them as they ran from their mother and her clients that were hunting for them. And corrupt policemen who had frequently visited. 

Julien almost stumbled as he was approaching the city of Darwin. He was breathing hard as he ran, stumbling only a little but refusing to go down. 

He had to get Ash to safety. He had to save her, no matter what. And Ash cried, whimpering as she clutched to him. She saw them getting closer to them. 

They were catching up to them.

Ash would wake up to the buzzing and open her eyes to find that thing still over her. It was just staring at her. And one time, she woke to it touching her. 

She whimpered as she laid there trembling as claw like hands roamed all over her. It was even touching her most delicate pained bits, making her whimper and gasp softly. 

She would black out again. 

In the dream, as it continued to haunt her, Ash saw her brother finally collapsed to his knees. He couldn't run any more. He had been running all night, trying to save her. 

Her mother and her dirty clients caught up and surrounded them. She ran up to them, enraged and tried to grab Ash roughly but he would twist away and refuse to let go. 

He bent over as their mother began hitting him, punching him and kicking. He protected his baby sister asnblows came from the wicked woman and now clients as they joined in trying to kick him. 

Ash was screaming and crying as she buried herself under her brother. She had only peered once to look through his arms to see a client raising a gun to just shoot him. 

And then she heard the buzzing. 

She looked right up at the creature in her dreams, seeing it standing over them. It was watching it all.

And she woke up to something pushing inside of her, making her whimper and cry. Her only thoughts were, 'Great, now I'm being molested by a black ghost thing.' 

But even as she laid there, Ash began to realize something.

She woke up again to it covering her body, the thing. It was touching her body, and even inside her. It seemed to caress her like someone petting a hurt cat. But she frowned as she realized, it wasn't hurting. 

It didn't hurt her. 

It was making her feel good and not in a sexual way. She could actually feel her aches and pains going away as it touched her. 

"What are you?" She found herself whisper before she drifted off again. She only got buzzes right back. 

"You'll hit her!" Her mother had screamed as she knocked the client's arm away, sending the shot off course into the ground. 

Ash had screamed and Julien had flinched but he didn't get up. He just kept her covered as theyntried to pull him off of her, to take her. He steeled himself over her, refusing to budge.

Ash woke again but kept her eyes closed because she heard voices. She knew who it was because he sounded angry, yet confused. 

Blaire was in the room with Andrew, the Doctor. And they were discussing her as she laid naked on the bed, tied down. 

"I don't get it. Where did all of the bruises go? All of the markings are gone. How the fuck did she heal so fast? Those should be on her longer than they were." Blaire asked bewildered. 

"I don't get it either, Jeremy. But there's only one thing I can think of. But....why would it....?" Andrew was saying.

"The fucking Walrider Project? You're joking, right?" Blaire asked. 

"Well, as long as it's host is alive and in the Engine, it goes wherever it pleases. How it found her, well.....it was probably wandering when it came across her. How she is alive beats me. It destroys not heals. But for some reason, it did." Andrew stated. 

"Find out why. Talk to Wernicke. Maybe he knows." Blaire said before he was unzipping his pants. 

Ash whimpered as she felt him get on her for her now standard torture. She blacked outnin the middle of it, welcoming the darkness coming back to engulf her.

The dream continued as the client backhanded her mother, sending her sprawling before raising his gun again at Julien again, who tightened around Ash. 

"I paid good money for her! I am not going to be cheated by some bullshit, high and mighty, self righteous brat! Boy, get off my whore before I blow your......!" The clien had been yelling.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack of a gunshot, making Ash scream from under Julien, who had flinched as well. 

But it was the client who hit the ground.

Julien looked up, as did Ash, both startled as they turned with the whole group to see a group of armed men now running down the hill, guns raised and aimed. 

In the lead was the mercenary named Kyle.

Again, Ash woke to the sound of buzzing and it was dark in the room. 

She opened her eyes and that thing was touchingnher again, feeling its tingling touch upon her. She didn't know what this was but it was taking away her pain so she welcomed it. 

Sighing, she turned her head to allow it to do whatever it was doing to her. 

But eyes widened when she saw someone else there, frowning as he watched the ghost like creature covering her body. 

A young man. 

Her head came up and she jolted a little, causing slight disruption to whatever the ghost thing was doing. It growled at her but her eyes were on the man. 

A young man but with age lines that didn't belong. He had a strong build for a patient but at the same time, he kind of looked weakly. He had no hair whatsoever, shaved completely bald.

But his eyes.....his eyes scared Ash terribly.

They were black as night, like empty sockets in a skull or like black holes that seemed to have smoke coming out from them. It was like looking Death right in the eyes.

That, or the Devil, himself, was coming to pay her a visit as she laid suffering on a bed to be raped over and over again. 

"So you're the one that has them so riled up." He spoke and his voice was pretty deep. 

Ash trembled as she laid there before looking from him to the thing covering her as it touched her outside and in. "Wh-who.......what......are you?" She whimpered. 

The young man merely tilted his head before flicking his black eyes to the ghost like creature, which growled at him. He seemed to scowl. "It likes you." He told her not sounding too pleased. 

Shaking, Ash looked at the creature, feeling her fear building. "What.....that is it?" She asked fearfully. 

"Don't be afraid of it if it's not hurting you. It likes fear but your fear is agitating it. It doesn't like yours." The man said before shifting. "I'm Billy Hope. That's Walrider." 

Ash frowned, trembling as she looked wide eyed up at the black ghost. She remembered that name. The inmates that she was familiar with told her about these two. "What's it.....what's it......?" She asked eith a growing sob. 

The Walrider growled before lifting its head and moving towards her face, making her suck in her terrifies breath and closing her eyes tightly. She felt it touching her face. 

"I said don't be afraid of it. It isn't hurting you. It's repairing you. Healing you." The man said irritated. 

Ash opened her eyes, frowning as she looked at him in confusion, even as she felt the ghostly being was touching her face. Caressing her cheek, almost.....soothingly. 

"Wh-wha?" She couldn't help but say. 

"The Walrider isn't a ghost. It's a swarm. A swarm of nanobots. Microscopic robots that takes on the form of a ghost. It's bioengineered by Murkoff." The man, Billy Hope said as he tilted his head now looking at the Walrider. "It was created by Murkoff as a weapon. It creates tumors and cancers but can also remove them. It gets in your head too. It can see your memories through your brain. It's seen yours. And so have I. We don't like what we see. It doesn't like what Murkoff is doing to you. And we have seen your dreams." 

Ash frowned, now completely taken aback. She could lay there before looking at the ghost......no. Swarm. 

It made sense now, somewhat anyway. 

Nanobots, thousands of them to build up a form. It was no wonder it was buzzing. Because it was making electrical noise. It was the noise of thousands of tiny robots as one. It sounded like.....bees actually. 

"What.....what do you mean it likes me? Is it....sentient?" She asked confused. 

"It grew sentimentality as it was programmed to fuck everyone up. The swarm began to adapt and learn as it existed. It saw memories. Those it didn't like, it fucked up. Those it likes, it heals. It repairs. Like you." Billy Hope said in an almost dead tone. "Sometimes, it alters those it likes. Makes them stronger, faster, better at killing those it doesn't think that should live. Like Blaire. It really doesn't like Jeremy Blaire." 

Ash swallowed hard as she looked onto Billy's eyes. "Why hasn't it killed him?" She asked quietly. 

A slow, deadly smile finally formed on Billy's face and even the Walrider purred as it caressed her face. "Because it thinks you deserve justice for what he's done. It wants you to kill him. You or Simon." He said in a dark way. 

Ash stiffened at the sound of her brother's name. "Simon? You know...." she was asking. 

"Simon tried to help me. Problem is, I didn't want help. I didn't want to leave. It's why he got caught. He was trying to leave and take me. But I wouldn't go. He was caught and hurt. But not for long. The Walrider freed him. Because it didn't like him, but I did. We also knew you would come here for him. It's all a part of the plan." He said slowly. 

Ash frowned, looking confused before she jumped when she heard snaps and she looked down. She was surprised to see that her restraints were undone. She could get up. 

"You cannot escape yet. You have to do something first. But we will allow you to leave this room. Leave the labs. Go upstairs. The Walrider will lead you. Follow it and it will take you to safety where you can hide." Billy said now moving forward and making her flinch. He leaned in close and peered right into her eyes. "It is your eyes. They're hypnotic and the gold clears minds. That's why he can think again." 

A spark seemed to light up in Ash's mind as she slowly sat up but not without wincing by how stiff her muscles were. "You're....talking about Gluskin, aren't you?" She asked slowly. 

Billy slowly nodded as he slowly smiled a rather....sinister smile. "He's the one." He looked at the black ghost like creature as it slid out of her and hovered close by. "Take her to Gluskin's place. He will keep her safe. She clears his mind so he can think without madness. He will help her. If he does lose his mind, and thinks she is a bride he can mutilate, kill him." He said slowly before turning away. 

Ash felt chilled at his words. She didn't like that but it was better than being mutilated. "Do you know.....where I can find some clothes?" She asked weakly not liking her bare nakedness. 

"You don't have time. You must leave now while they are preoccupied with Chris Walker. Sorry but no clothes. But don't worry. If anyone touches you, Walrider won't like it. It'll take care of you. And believe me, Gluskin's got clothes for ladies in his place." Billy said without turning around. 

"His place?" Ash asked numbly as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

"Each Variant has their own space. They're given to them for being a part of the Morphogenetic Engine program. It gives them room for testing." Billy said in a slow way. "Murkoff is making monsters, you know? It's only fair to give their monsters room to hunt and kill. There are parts of the Asylum you haven't been in yet. They kept you in the main building. And no further. If you were to wander somewhere in the Variants' space, you'd probably die. Horribly. But you're going to Gluskin's. Follow Walrider." He then pushed the door open and walked out. 

Ash felt her breath stick in her chest before she looked up at the Walrider as it hovered close by. She felt afraid of it but with a shaky breath, she pushed herself up and headed to the door. 

Looking out, she saw that she was in the underground lab. It was dark in this hallway but she could see at the end of the corridor and see that in the end, the large plasma ball was there. 

She knew where she was now. 

There was a buzzing by her ear and she flinched as she looked up at the Walrider. It was close to her again, wrapping smoky tendrils around her arm and urging her to go down the other way of the hall.

She frowned but followed along, uneasily. It did not help that it was so quiet and she was completely naked. She just hoped that she she would wouldn'trun into anyone. 

The Walrider lead her down the dark hall, where she came to a ladder that lead up. She frowned but started to climb up because the ghostly being was going up and when she reached the top, there was a small wooden door. 

Pushing it open, she realized it was a crawl space and it was inside the walls. 

The Walrider went in and she followed it into the walls. She had to crawl at this point and it made it hell on her bare knees but she followed the black swarm, crawling for quite a while. 

As she went, she heard noises from outside the walls. It was mostly the daily activities of what went on with the Asylum. She couldn't see anything because it was so dark and there was barely any light. 

She wouldn't have known where she was going if it weren't for the Walrider being right in front of her, leading her through the darkness. 

Eventually they came to a few corners and she just followed the swarm. 

Further into the walls she went, her mind a jumble as she crawled, hissing softly as she scraped her knees against wood. She felt a sting and she was sure she was bleeding at this point but she kept going. 

Eventually, the Walrider brought her to a new corridor of now metal and she went through it, hissing as she felt the cold metal. 

And finally, the Walrider stopped by a grate, where she peered out. 

It was a large gymnasium that looked completely abandoned and full of disarray. It was a complete mess with old bleachers falling a part. The basketball hoops were broken and falling off the poles they were attached to.

It did not look like a place that Ash wanted to stay in.

But the Walrider slid out of the vents and hovered there, waiting for her. She didn't move at first and it seemed agitated but then it reached forward and grabbed the grate, yanking it off the wall.

Ash had flinched at the loud sound it had made. She was especially jumpy that was for sure but then she heard the buzzing getting louder from the swarm and she realized it was getting irritated. It was an impatient being. 

Exhaling shakily, Ash crawled forward before maneuvering her legs out of the grate before hopping down from the vents. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the Walrider, which was now retreating back into the shadows. 

Was it leaving?

The mere thought of it leaving scared her and she tried to reach out for it. "Wa-wait." She whimpered. 

It did not but dissolved into the shadows, leaving her just standing there in the cold gym. 

Shivering, Ash looked around the dark gym before starting to walk around. She couldn't hear anything. It was too quiet and unsettling so. She could barely see anything but she did notice a door open. 

Her arms wrapped around herself as she began walking towards the door, shivering in the cold and from fear. 

She didn't know where she was or where she was going. She didn't know this place. She wasn't even sure if there was anyone here. She didn't know.....anything but her fear. 

Going through the door, she found a locker room and it made her frown as she noticed dark splotches everywhere. It made her heart nearly stop as she looked at splatters and splotches everywhere. It looked like dried blood.

It was as if someone had definitely died here. 

Killed. 

And it scared her as she felt her breathing becoming erratic as she kept walking. She stopped at a few lockers, opening them and hoping to find clothes but to her disappointment, there was nothing. 

One locker did squeal in protest, making her jump but she blew out her shaky breath before looking around some more. 

There was another door and she headed towards it. 

It lead into a hall way, so dsrk and eerie that she almost just wanted to stay in the locker room and curl up in a corner to cry. 

But she went down the hall to find chain linked doors leading to stairs, up and down. They had thick chains on them so she wasn't going that way. 

Sighing, Ash kept wandering the dark halls before once again finding stairs that lead down. She frowned as she looked down them but it was the only way she could see so far. 

So, she went down the stairs, which creaked and entered a new floor. 

It was to her surprise this time that the room was full of tables everywhere and on the tables were very old sewing machines. 

This had to be some kind of sewing factory part of the hospital. It didn't look like they had been in use for so long now. The machines were so old that even if there had been power, they might just fall a part once turned on. 

Her eyes peered into the darkness and she felt colder and more terrified as she began walking through the room. She was surprised to see mannequins in another room but they were empty of anything like clothes. 

Making a pitiful sound, Ash walked on, her skin now ice cold and prickled with the tiny hairs she had. The hairs were standing up on her arms and it was becoming scarier. 

She didn't like this. 

She didn't like it at all. 

But then.....Ash frowned as she picked up the sound of music. 

There was a very old song now echoing through the halls and it made her frown as she began following it. It sounded like an old record player with a very old song. She didn't know the song but it definitely had to be a song from the forties or something. 

A Quartet of some kind were singing in the song of a somewhat upbeat but old melody. 

She could barely make out the words of the song. She frowned as she listened and walked towards the music. She moved closer and closer to the music when she picked up a new sound. 

Someone was signing along side the Quartet. Someone was singing very softly and it did sound like they had quite a voice for it. 

It was.....nice to hear. 

Ash moved closer and closer to the sounds, her body starting to cramp up from being cold and scared. She didn't know who was singing but it did comfort her. The words were old and sort of cheesy, a song about finding a girl to marry. 

But that voice....it comforted Ash, even though it scared her to know who might have it. 

She went down the halls, following the music and the singing before she finally noticed light. She frowned as she tightened her arms around herself but moved towards the room that the light was coming from. 

Carefully approaching the room, Ash slowly peered into the room where the music and the light was coming from. She looked and found quite a set up. 

There was a ratty old mattress shoved in a corner with a few old blankets but there was also a large table with material just piled up on it and a bunch of needles and thread spools just sitting next them. 

A candle was lit and there was a dimming lightbulb flickering in the room. 

Ash also saw the source of the music. 

An old phonograph was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room with a record slowly spinning as it played the song over and over again. 

But there was no one there. 

Whoever had been singing was no where to be seen or heard. 

Ash shivered as she looked around the old room before she heard a shuffle from behind her. Her whole body seized in terror and she slowly turned her head. 

Someone was there. 

And the first thing that came to mind was curling in herself as she saw a menacing grin, barely seen in the darkness and dim light. 

"Darling." A voice spoke up from the man who stood there. 

Ash blinked as she recognized that voice and her eyes blinked many times as she looked at the man. She knew him. She knew who it was.

He was not dressed as a patient anymore. He instead wore old but not terribly looking black pants, a once was white but now dirty gray long sleeve men's short with a not so bad stitched up vest over it. There was a black bowtie around his throat, hanging loosely. 

Ash could barely see his face in the darkness but she noticed his eyes. His cool blue eys looked right back at her but the thing that made her nervous was how unfocused they were. 

Eddie Gluskin stood there, grinning in a maniacal way but he didn't seem to recognize her at all. 

Nonetheless, exhaustion caught up to Ash and she tilted back against the wall before her knees buckled and she slid down to the floor. She was trembling badly as she curled her knees up against her bare body, using her legs to shield herself from his roaming eyes. 

But she felt the darkness creeping up on her again. 

Blinking rapidly, yet her eyes drooping a bit, she looked up at Gluskin as he approached her, her eyes slowly meeting his. 

That grin of his slowly grew stiff as he looked right into her own eyes before he stiffened. She actually watched as his eyes began focusing on hers. 

"Eddie Gl-Gluskin....." she murmured tiredly before her head dropped down onto her own shoulder and she was out. 

Even as she drifted, she heard him moving closer to her before feeling as his leg brushed up against hers. His hands now touching her face, patting at her cheeks lightly before feeling her forehead. He was checking her to see if she was ill.

"There you are. Where have you been?" She heard Gluskin mutter back to her before she knew no more.


	11. Solace from a Killer

The dream continued for Ash, as if there had never been a pause of consciousness. She entered the dream as she had woken up from, buried under her brother, who remained to protect her. She could see her mother, climbing to her feet. Her clients turning to run. 

But it seemed that the vengeful Death would not let them escape, no matter who they were. 

There was loud cracks as the armed men aimed and fired and shot the clients into the dirt of the Outback. They fell to the ground with screams of pain, making Ash cry and clutch to her brother, who covered her tightly. 

The only to remain unshot and unharmed was their mother, who had fallen on her ass and now had a gun shoved in her face, keeping her from moving. 

The leading mercenary walked right up to Julien and Ash and stood over them, but not aiming. "Julien Paul?" He simply asked in a no bullshit tone. 

Julien looked up but kept over Ash, protecting her. He held a fierce look on his face, daring the man to try and harm her.

The Merc just faintly smiled before slowly putting his gun on safety and hooking it behind his back, hands raised in a peaceful way as he slowly lowered himself to one knee to be more eye level with the siblings. "My name is Kyle Peacock. I'm from an organization of Independent journalists, who exposes secrets that shouldn't be kept secret." He told Julien.

Julien looked skeptical as his arms gathered his sister up and held her close to his sweat drenched body. "Journalists who carries guns?" He asked rather sarcastically. 

Kyle smiled as he looked at the older sibling. "True, that is outrageous to hear, isn't it? No, technically I'm a mercenary employed by the company. But I work closely with them. I believe in what they believe. You've been calling for help for her." His eyes drifted to Ash, who whimpered in fear. He only smiled when the older brother tightened his hold on her and turned his body to keep the mercenary from looking at her. "You have tried to get someone to help you. You were ignored. But not from us. The company heard your cries for help. They sent us to come get you both. To free you from bullshit that kids like you shouldn't even be a part of. We're here to help you." He explained. 

Julien frowned but then looked at his baby sister. "You won't.....hurt her?" He asked uneasily. 

Kyle shook his head smiling warmly. "No. We won't hurt either one of you. We want to help you. We're here to take you away from this. We will get you medical help, get a new home, food, safety. The only thing we ask in return is you join our cause." He told them. 

"No!" Their mother screamed out now enraged. "She is mine! I have legal custody! You can't take her from me! I'll fight you." 

Kyle's face steeled as he slowly turned on his heel before standing up. He walked like a predator towards her, making her now draw back in fear. "You're a pitiful excuse of a mother, bitch." He growled. "What you have done to this little girl is disgusting and it is over for you! We have evidence of what you've done to her and it will be exposed! You no longer have custody of this little girl! Consider me the Child Social Services, Mrs. Paul. And I'm taking her from you!" He snapped before turning towards his man who kept the mother covered with a gun. "Take this whore back home. She gets to live in her misery. She can fight our system all she wants." He growled before looking at the woman. "Know this, you're already exposed. Expect real police showing up at your door in two days! You're going to prison, bitch, for child abuse, accessory to rape, sex trafficking and so much more." 

He turned back towards Julien and went over, holding his out to him. "You want out with your little sister? We will take you to safety. We will get her looked at and we will get you both a good education. Just join VIRALeaks and do some real good in this world." He told him. 

For a moment, Julien looked skeptical before he looked down at Ash, who looked back up with teary eyes. His hardened eyes softened before he gently touched her cheeks, wiping her eyes before he took the man's hand and allowed him to help him to his feet. 

None of them moved to take Ash from him. 

"My name isn't Julien. Not anymore. And her name....it isn't that any more. Her name....is Ashton. Named after our father. I don't want her name being.....the name that bitch gave her." He growled, shooting his mother a dark look. 

Kyle smiled. "Last name? Surely you want to change your surname too." He said. 

Juilen paused thinking hard before looking curiously at Kyle. "Simon Peacock? And Ashton Peacock?" He asked slowly as if asking for permission. 

Kyle Peacock just smiled warmly before he turned slightly but offered an arm to him and the little girl. "Very well. I'll adopt you as my own then. I'll have paper work to fill out and so will you. But welcome to the family, son." He said warmly as he wrapped an arm around Julien.....no. 

It was Simon and he began leading him back up the hill, while his men were dragging their mother towards a truck to take back home. He looked gently at Ash, who peered shyly back at him. "Ashton, don't you worry, little lady. We're going to take care of you. Me and your big brother. Always wanted a little girl, myself. But don't you worry, honey. We're going to get through this. Together." He told her softly as he lead them to a truck waiting up the hill. 

And the dream ended.

Ash slowly woke up, hearing a gentle humming. She was confused of where she was the moment she opened her eyes and just laid there, trying to collect herself.

She was lying an old, ratty mattress with a thin blanket wrapped around her body. It wasn't exactly comfortable but it was better than what she had been on before.

It was only semi dark, with only a flickering light above her. 

She just laid there, not moving because of someone humming. She knew that she wasn't alone. And it did make her heart start pounding. She was only too afraid to look to see who was there. 

But after a long moment of just laying there, she finally looked. 

Her heart gave a small leap to see someone sitting in a chair near the mattress, facing her. But it didn't take her long to realize who it was. 

Eddie Gluskin was sitting there, facing her but his eyes remained on what he was doing. He had a pile of material sitting on his lap, along with a small needle and thread. He was sewing stitches into the material. 

He didn't look at her, though he could have easily done so to just lift his eyes to meet hers. But he did pause as he pushed the needle into the material before slowly putting it down and turning away from her. He reached over to the table next to him and picked up a glass of water. Then slowly, he set his project aside and leaned forward, holding it out to her. 

His eyes finally met hers. 

Ash just laid there for a moment, looking uneasy before she finally pushed herself to sitting up. She was startled, however, to see that she was wearing a man's shirt, covering her bareness under. She shuddered but then slowly scooted across the mattress to reach for the glass of water. 

Taking it, she couldn't help but drink rather greedily. She felt the coolness of the water slid down her throat, wincing a little because it hurt to swallow and even flinched as it hit her empty stomach. 

But nonetheless, it was nice to put something in it. 

Her eyes lift to meet Eddie's again as he sat watching her, now returning to his sewing. 

"I would ask where you've been for the past few weeks. But judging by your appearance when I found you, I think I have a pretty good idea." He finally spoke in a hushed tone and his eyes did darken a little. "All I will ask is are you all right? Though, I doubt you are."

Ash curled up a little, feeling her bare legs pressing against her chest as the shirt rode up a little but she kept the blanket wrapped around her. She clutched to the glass, sipping slowly now. 

She just could just shake her head as tears welled up in her eyes, now not able to look up at him. She felt ashamed, dirty. She couldn't even meet his eyes. 

"N-no. I'm not.....really." she whispered. 

He just kept sewing the material, but there was a low sigh from him. "The bastards here.....I loathe them entirely. Especially Blaire. I never could imagine him doing that to anyone but I couldn't put him past it either." He said rather softly. "Though I cannot say it doesn't happen to us." 

Ash finally looked up at him, seeingnhow hard his face was as he kept at his work. "Does.....does someone...." she couldn't even say it. 

Eddie just shifted a shoulder into a shrug. "Two bastards named Andrew and Steve have a knack of abusing the patients here. Myself, included. There was a reason why I was screaming it the night we met." He said in a low voice. 

Ash winced, now looking at him with pity. She knew both of the doctors that he spoke about. They had had the same opportunity of doing it to her. 

Andrew especially had been very rough with her when she was locked up in that room. Most of the bruises she had was because of him. He seemed to like causing pain. 

Steve....he had done it only once to her and the memory of him pushing into her ass made her tremble and tightly close her eyes as she tried to shove it aside.

Her heart pinched as she slowly placed her head against her knee. "They killed him. They killed Kyle." She whimpered as tears fell freely now. 

Eddie didn't say anything but sat there. 

"He was my dad. Not my real dad but.....he saved us. Simon and me. He saved us from Australia. He took us in when we had nothing. He adopted us. And he came for me. Simon sent him. He came to get me and he was caught." Ash began to cry. "They killed him and then began hurting me." 

There was movement and she suddenly flinched when she felt an arm wrap around her. She just froze as she felt him kneel beside her and pull her against his chest. 

She honestly would have freaked out if she wasn't so tired. But at the same time, she felt comforted as this....killer held her in solace. 

She even felt him pet her hair, soothingly. And she welcomed it after a moment. 

"I'm sorry for your loss." He had muttered.

"M' gross." She whimpered. 

She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled before pulling away from her, his hands still on her shoulders. "Come. You must want to wash up. The water does run in the showers here. But I can't say it's warm." He told her now standing up and backing away.

Ash pushed the blanket off of her and stood up, tugging the shirt down a little and grimacing when it didn't exactly cover her thighs like she wanted it to. It was big on her but not too much.

"Is this one of yours?" She asked as she stood up and looked up at Eddie, who was keeping his eyes adverted from her. He was obviously trying to be polite and not looking at her bare legs. 

Eddie just nodded as he began leading her. "It was all I could grab at the moment when I found you. I would have gotten something a little more decent but I didn't entirely want to leave you alone without you being conscious. I could not risk someone stumbling upon you while searching for something to wear." He told her.

Ash shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't like to think that anyone else would find her either. She didn't trust Eddie Gluskin but he was far more trustworthy than anyone else in this horrible place. 

"Does many come down here?" She asked worriedly. 

She saw a rather tight smile form on Eddie's face as he kept his eyes forward. "Occasionally. Sometimes they wander down here. And sometimes they're dragged down here. But I'm afraid to tell you, they don't really last very long to staying alive." He told her. 

"You....kill them?" Ash asked uneasily. 

"If I don't, they try to kill me. And I'd rather live, thank you. There is much I would like to do before I die." Eddie told her as he lead her through the sewing rooms, back to the stairs. 

Ash frowned but understood that. She figured it out a while ago that sometimes, you have to kill to survive. Especially in a place like this.

Frowning, she curled into herself tighter. She had only thing on her mind and she didn't like it. But if she were to survive, it might as well. 

"Can you.....show me how?" She asked timidly. 

"How to what?" Eddie asked still leading her. 

Taking a deep breath, Ash looked weakly up at him. "How to kill someone?" She asked nervously. 

That made him halt and turn sharply to look at her in surprise. He was definitely taken back by that question and it made her think exactly what she had been thinking by asking. 

Too late to take it back now.


	12. A Killer's Work

"Surely, you are joking." Eddie replied as he had faced her in his surprise. 

Ash tightened her arms around herself but she shook her head as she shrugged at the same time. "I....I'm not joking. I....I know how to fight but....I've never actually fought before. Simon never let me fight my battles. He was too protective of me." She spoke in a nervous tone. "But I....this place.....it doesn't give me a choice. And even you said it. If you don't kill, they will kill you."

Eddie's brow furrowed as he stood there thinking for a good long moment. He obviously didn't like this but it did put a thought into his mind. 

Sighing, he shook his head. "A lady shouldn't have to kill anyone." He said quietly. 

Smiling forcefully, Ash shrugged. "I'm not exactly a lady. And right now, I can't afford to be one. Nineteen times. They raped me nineteen times in three weeks. I don't want it happening again. Blaire, some guards and they even allowed a few patients do it. I can'tdo that again." She said weakly. "If it means I have to kill someone to make sure I survive, then....well, then I have to do it."

Shaking his head, Eddie folded his arms and shifted his weight. "Killing is easy. It's living with taking a life that's difficult. I may have killed a lot of people but it doesn't make it easy. Especially if it's your first kill. It haunts you for the rest of your life. Believe me. Killing that woman, I see it in my dreams all of the time. It can destroy you to watch the life leave their eyes. Are you sure you can handle that?" He asked in warning.

Shrugging weakly, Ash tried to smile but failed a great deal. "I have to. As it is, how I came down here, the Walrider brought me. I met Billy Hope. He's the one who freed me. He said the Walrider likes me and it thinks I should serve justice to Jeremy Blaire. It wants me to kill him. I just don't know how to." She told him.

At the mere mention of the Walrider, Eddie had stiffened. He frowned deeply, now glancing her over for only a second, though she had curled back a little because of her bare legs. 

But then, he sighed, looking thoughtfully away from her, his eyes narrowed. "What are you up to, Hope?" He muttered before looking back at her. "He didn't say anything else?" 

Ash shrugged. "He just said he planned on me coming here. It all started with Simon when he tried helping him. He knew about me and he knew I would come. He also said I was safer here because of you. I.....guess I clear your mind. I guess. He said something about my eyes. About them being hypnotic or something." She told him. 

"Well that is apparently true." Eddie said as he leaned in to look her in the eyes again, never minding her cringing back. "They are quite nice, I must admit. And I have said it before. But I haven't been able to think of nothing else but finding my bride for a long time. But with you, it seems to clear my mind of killing." He blew out a sigh. "Hope is up to something. He is not one who helps anyone. There is a reason he's not saying that he wants you here. But if I were clever enough, I wouldn't cross him. He's very dangerous to ignore. All because of the Walrider." He then turned and started leading her again. 

Ash frowned. "Does he control it?" She asked as she followed. 

"More like work with it. He's it's host. The Walrider cannot survive without a host. It has a difficult time controlling itself without a body to inhabit." Eddie said as he lead her into the locker room she remembered. 

"I don't understand. It lives in him?" She asked bewildered. 

Eddie nodded as he glanced back at her. "In some way. It's very difficult to explain because I don't know very much of the Walrider Project. I'm not it's host so I don't understand it. I just know that if it didn't have a host, it will find someone else to possess, I suppose." He told her as he lead her into another room qhere there were shower heads conjoined with the basketball court.

Frowning, Ash just thought about it. She had to think of what she knew so far. She had been told that the Walrider were a swarm of nanobots by Billy Hope. It was sentient and it seemed to like her for some reason. 

Perhaps, the knowledge of Billy being some kind of host was he was like a nanobot factory. Or a beehive. 

If the nanobots were anything like bees, than they needed a beehive to survive and continued to build more and more as some probably expired. They had a hive like mind to think as one to become one entity. 

So perhaps, Billy Hope was the beehive and the Queen Bee for them, in some weird way. 

"Here we are. The last stall has the warmest water. But I'm afraid not much privacy is here." Eddie said as he stepped into the room with Ash. "I will stay outside the room. I promise I will not look inside this room as you clean up. There is an kitchen near by. I doubt it has anything actually edible but I will see what I can find. It is in earshot sonif anything happens, shout for me." He told her. 

Ash gave him a grateful look as she walked into the room. She did look around and grimaced at the state of it. 

It was not the cleanest shower room at all. But it would have to do. She couldn't exactly be picky in this whole arrangement. 

Her next concern was clothes. 

"Um, clothes, maybe? I'm sure you would want your shirt back." Ash said nervously. 

Eddie just nodded as he turned his back to her. "I'll find you something. It will more than likely have to be one of my creations but I'm sure I'll have something for you." He told her now starting to walk away. 

"Thank you." Ash called softly after him. 

Once she seemed to be alone, she headed to the last stall, farthest away from the door. She grimaced to see that Eddie hadn't been kidding. There was no privacy whatsoever. No curtains or anything. 

Just a shower head, which she eyed warily. 

She highly doubted that there would be warm water at all. It didn't look like it would. 

But with a sigh, she began peeling the shirt off of her and neatly folding it to set away from the shower stall. She didn't want it getting wet and ruined. That wouldn't be polite if she had. 

Standing naked again, in the room, Ash glanced towards the door, which thankfully closed with only a crack before she turned towards the showers. 

Turning the knobs, she almost shrieked lightly when ice cold water sprayed from the faucet head, making her cringe as she held her hand out under it. 

Oh, this wasn't going to be pleasant at all. 

But at least the water was clean from what she could see and it did warm up just a little bit. It was more luke warm now but still too cold for her likening. 

She couldn't be picky though and had to hold in a gasp as she stepped under the spray. She already wanted to jump away from the cool water but forced her to stay as she began rubbing at her own body. 

It was unfortunate that there weren't any shampoos or conditioners or even soap but she would make due with what she could. She 

Rubbing her hands over her body to wash any dirt off, she even ran her fingers through her tangled hair, grimacing as there were some snags. She did what she could to use the cool water to getting knots out and it seemed enough. 

Her mind couldn't help but go back to that morning though and it made her heart pinch to think that the man who took care of her and Simon was dead. It definitely brought tears to her eyes as she tried to clean herself as best as she could. 

To see that look on his face as he looked back at her. 

Kyle had looked sad but fierce at the same time. He wasn't afraid to die but he had been afraid for her. Even with his eyes on hers, she knew he was telling her to fight. To run. To never give up. 

Even as he laid dying, bleeding out from his throat slashed, he just looked at her. 

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" 

Ash jumped at the sound of someone's voice and she immediately tried to cover herself with her arms as she turned to look fearfully towards the door. 

To her horror, there were two guards walking in, armed with shock batons. 

They just opened the door, probably hearing the showers running and walked in, finding her. They wore lecherous looks as their eyes roamed her now wet body, moving towards her. 

Her eyes snapped over to the shirt she had folded before rushing over to it. 

Unfortunately one of the guards rushed over too and slapped a hand over her mouth as his other arm wrapped around her waist. He pulled her against him, holding her tight as she tried thrashing and screaming. His hand only tightened against her mouth, keeping her from making too much noise. 

"Ah, ah, ah. No, no. You won't be needing that." One guard sneered as he stepped closer to her, now nearly sandwiching her in between them. His hands immediately reached up and cupped her breasts, making scream again and shake her head as tears began falling. 

"Everyone has been looking for you. Blaire's quite pissed that you've gone missing. I wonder what he'll say when we drag you back to him." The guard behind her said before he began pressing his thighs against her buttocks. 

Ash whimpered as she felt him getting hard and while did try to move her hips away from his, the other guard, unfortunately, stepped forward and pressed his own hardened thighs into her. 

"Think we got time to give her a punishment of our own? She looks pretty sweet. I'd like to fuck her brains out." The guard in front of her said now rubbing himself against her. 

"I want her mouth. Gotta keep her quiet. From what I know, Gluskin's down here somewhere. His testing is coming up soon. And we really don't want his attention. Though he'd probably mutilate her if he finds her too." The second guard sneered as he ran his hand down her front, reaching to touch her. 

Ash whimpered and tightly closed her eyes as she felt them starting to rut against her. She felt one of them starting to undo his pants to pull himself out.......

And then came the loud, angry buzzing in the room. 

She heard it and her eyes snapped wide open.

The guards almost missed it. 

And they all noticed just how dark it got in the room. The shadows were coming to life, now forming close to them and very fast. 

None of the three had time to think as a snarling black cloud just snapped out of the shadows and two claws lashed out, slashing the two men across the face. 

Both men staggered back fast and cried out loudly in pain, leaving Ash to nearly collapse to the ground. 

However, that black swarm suddenly aroundnher body, making her flinch and look right up at the Walrider as it wrapped itself around her, holding her up but not hurting her at all.

It was protecting her, shielding her body from roaming eyes as the guards looked fearfully and angry towards them.

The door was kicked open again and all heads snapped around tosee Eddie now coming in, glaring around the room. He took one look and did look startled to see the Walrider now covering Ash but not hurting her. 

He looked right at it and it buzzed back at him, not moving from Ash. But instead pointing right at the guards, who were now drawing guns to pount at Eddie.

There was a shot of black and the guns were torn from their grasp, crushed between thousands of nanobots as it shoved the men towards Eddie. 

It seemed that Eddie Gluskin understood though. 

Because his menacing grin was back on his face as he looked right at the now unarmed guards. His eyes unfocused but sharpened with immensity of death. 

"Whores and sluts, you come into my space and attack my guest. That will not do. Such terrible manners. You are undeserving of hanging with the rest of the ungrateful sluts who have come to me." Eddie growled now moving towards the two.

"Fuck!" One guard yelled as he turned to run, shoving his companion aside without a care. 

Because of the wet floor, however, he qent down and had a hard time getting back up. 

Hos companion, on the other hand, went down from being shoved and it was with a predatory speed that Eddie was on him, grabbong him by the throat and pinning him down. 

Ash barely saw Eddie Gluskin's hand move to behind his back, pulling out a sharp butcher knife before plunging it into his chest and gut seven times before he pulled back a little, looking down at the bulge that had been in the guard's pants.

"Vulgar slut." Eddie growled his eyes flashing with rage and disgust before he swung the knife back behind him and then thrust forward, stabbing the screaming man in between the legs nine times until there was blood just spraying everywhere. 

Crazed eyes lift towards the other guard, who watched in horror and was trying to get to his feet but kept slipping and sliding against the wet tiles of the shower room. 

Ash whimpered as she now clutched onto the Walrider, feeling it tightening its own grip on her, moving both of them out of the way as Eddie stomped right past them. 

She watched with wide eyes as he already had his hand on the guard, yanking him to his feet and slamming him against the wall. 

She watched as the Groom plunged the knife in between the guard's own legs, stabbing over and over again until he was practically mince meat and quite dead on the floor, along with the other guard. 

Soon, there was only the sound of buzzing of the Walrider and the running water in the room as Eddie Gluskin turned to face her now. 

The Walrider growled and hissed as his eyes met its almost black holes of eye sockets. It was still covering Ash's body, hiding her bareness from view. 

But slowly, Eddie focused on Ash, looking her right in the eyes. 

"It seems to me that you did tell the truth. The Walrider brought you here but it never left. It has been watching over you." Eddie said, his voice still a little rough. 

Ash shivered as she looked at the swarm, meeting its....eyes. She then patted at its arm, now looking grateful. "Th-thank you." She whispered to it. 

It tilted its head but didn't let go. It looked to Eddie instead, hissing and buzzing, who frowned but then slowly nodded. 

"Is it.....talking to you?" Ash asked in dawning. 

Eddie didn't look at her, just at the Walrider but he nodded. "You have not been in the morphogenetic engine nor seen the movie reels. Of course you cannot hear its voice. But it does speak to those who has. It's telling me that it wants you to remain here in my care. It has been watching us since it brought you here." He frowned at one of the buzzing from the entity but nodded. "It does want me to show you how to kill. To defend yourself against those who means you harm." He told her. 

Ash frowned but slowly nodded. "I don't...like it any more than you do. But I....those men....they were going to......I have to know how to defend myself." She said weakly. 

"Yes, you do. Because that was too close for even my likening. I was not aware they entered my space without them shouting. I was in the process of finding you something to wear." Eddie said before he turned towards the doors and headed out. 

It was only a moment later before he was back, holding a bundle of clothing over his arm, which he held out towards Ash. 

Ash took it and looked it over. She did have to pause in surprise. It was a sundress made from patient's uniform, stitched together to make it a dress. 

It couldn't be helped as Ash examined it but in awe. 

It might have once been a patient's uniform but the waynit was made and stitched together, it wasn't half bad. It almost.....pretty if it weren't used material from a uniform. 

It couldn't be helped as Ash smiled before looking at Eddie. 

"You made this?" 

Eddie scratched at the side of his neck, almost sheepish now. "Yes. I do apologize for the material but it's rather hard to come by anything else. I must make due to what I do have." He said apologetically. 

Ash shook her head as she smiled at him. "No. It's actually really nice. Interesting design but it's nice." She told him now bringing it closer to her. 

A rather shy grin formed on Eddie's face but he turned his eyes away before turning his back to her. 

It was only then the Walrider drew away from her, allowing to be able to pull the patient dress over her head and readjust it. She was surprised that it was actually a perfect fit to her form. 

"Wait....did you.....make this for me? How the heck did you get my measurements?" She asked bewildered. 

Eddie merely turned his head but carefully before finally turning around to face her againnbecause she was covered. "Ah, well, I might have measured you while you slept. But I promise, I didn't look at your lady parts." He said and true enough, he did turn slightly pink. 

Laughing a little, Ash looked away from him before making a face at the dead guards. She should have beennin shock to see their dead bodies. It was not normal to see someone dead. 

But she figured it was the anger she now felt for what they had almost done. 

She did not have pity for them at all. 

"What about them? They said that Blaire is looking for me. They know I'm missing." Ash asked only a little worried. 

Eddie looked at the two before his menacing smirk was on his face again. He shared a glance with the Walrider as it was already starting to back away from them. "Would it be rude of me to ask you to deliver them to Frank Manera? I'm sure he's rather hungry." He said to the swarm. 

The Walrider buzzed and hissed but was moving towards the bodies, lifting them up. It turned to look back at Eddie, almost growling. 

The Groom just nodded before looking at Ash. "It will deliver the bodies to the Cannibal and then be back here. Blaire is aware of your disappearance but they will not find you here. The Walrider will be making sure of that." He told her before motioning to the doors. "I have found food. It's not much. But once you've had some food and have gotten rest, then we shall discuss your lessons of the art of killing." He told her. 

Ash just nodded before allowing Eddie to take the lead out of the room, while the Walrider zipped right out with the bloody bodies. 

For the first time entering Mount Massive Asylum, she felt safe.


	13. Lessons to Kill

This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she asked to be taught how to kill Blaire but she figured that supplies were limited so she couldn't complain. 

The moment she had woken up on that mattress, alone she had figured that Eddie had gone to breakfast, which he had because he had turned up in his patient uniform with smuggled food for her. 

And of course, when he showed her that he had stolen markers as well, that was what she had frowned about. 

Of course when he went and grabbed one of the mannequins in the sewing rooms, she frowned even more as he had it stand in the room they were in. She stiffened, however when he removed the top half of his shirt, revealing his bare chest. 

Ash couldn't help but feel her face flush to see how exactly well built Eddie Gluskin actually was as he looked from his own chest and midsection, poking at himself before marking Xs on the mannequins. 

Still, Ash couldn't help but look him over. And she should have expected it because she had seen him half naked before. But it was the first time she actually looked at him. 

He had very little hair on his chest and those he did have were limited. But he did have a broad chest and a good solid six pack so he was strong from what she could see from his front muscles and even more on his back. 

But nonetheless, even she had to admit it. 

Eddie Gluskin was an impressive built man. 

Trying to keep him from seeing her blush, however, Ash looked to what he was doing, making the marks on the mannequin. 

Eddie had marked an X on the left side chest, one on the side lower that that, one at the center and of course one right below the center of the chest and the final, across the neck.

He finally turned towards her, meeting her eyes and motioning to the mannequin as he also held out the marker. 

"Well, then, the areas I have marked on this are vitals to how to kill someone. This marker is your knife. Each X is where you would want to strike someone you intend to kill." Eddie told her. 

Ash frowned as she took the marker and stood there for a moment to listen to him. 

"How would you hold a knife or something sharp?" Eddie asked her. 

"Uh," Ash said numbly before she held the marker in her hand straight up. 

The Groom shook his head and made quite an impatient sound before stepping forward and putting his arms around her, grabbing her hand. He felt her stiffen but he ignored it as he rearranged her hand around the marker and held out her arm. "Like this if your defensive." He told her. 

Swallowing hard as Ash felt her face going red but she held the marker tightly in her hand like he was making her. 

"When someone is coming at you, you strike fast and hit one of the marks. You want to stab in the center if you want to hit the heart." Eddie told her now maneuvering her to swing the marker, though it was awkward because of how stiff she was. "Will you relax? If you're not relaxed, I cannot show you." He added impatiently. 

Ash tried to force herself to relax as she let him guide then "knife" towards the mannequin's center mark. 

"For a more effective strike, to the side." Eddie told her and had her arm and hand swing slowly from thenside until it tapped the side X. "For the neck, slash." And he guided her to slash the neck. 

"Ok." Ash said nervously and finally breathed normally when he stepped back. 

"Now show me. Faster. Mark your slashes." Eddie told her, now folding his arms as he stepped back.

Therefore, the practice began. 

Ash would make a strike with the marker as a knife and would act as if she was killing this mannequin. She did it sloppily and she knew she did. She had to be corrected many times by Eddie. 

She was discouraged when she did it wrong but she was surprised of how calm that he was being with her, all the while, being slightly patient with her.

But nonetheless, she was learning where the more vital areas were on someone's body that was ideal to killing. She knew, however, this was just a mannequin and someone alive would be moving around. 

However, before she could actually voice that, Eddie had pulled out another marker and held it like a knife. 

"As you know, those you kill or defend yourself against, move around. We cannot use real knives. It would be unwise so therefore, the markers are our knives. You're to try and "kill" me, as I will you."" He told her. 

Ash stiffened, looking at him in unease. "Eh?" She asked numbly. 

Eddie waggled the marker at her. "With markers, of course. You need to know to move fast and strike hard. Remember the marks and apply them to my own body. I will do the same to you. But no fear. I'll try and take it easy on you for you're still learning." He told her before holding up his marker. 

Bullshit, Ash would have said by the end of it. 

Because when they began a duel with the markers, it wasn't him who was covered in marker ink. She was. 

They practiced for a few hours before Eddie decided to call it end of lesson of the day. He had had marked her, everywhere. From her arms to her sides and even across her neck, he had "killed" her utterly. 

One thing was for sure, she had managed to at least get him against the arm but according to him, it was a flesh wound and she was still dead. 

Pouting, Ash looked herself over, noting how marked up she was. 

"No worries. It's washable ink. It comes right off in water." Eddie said sounding a little too amused when he saw the look on her face. 

"This is definitely going to take a while." Ash pouted as she rubbed at the ink on her neck. 

"Of course. You're not exactly experienced in this ghastly affair. I've got more experience in ending a life than you do." Eddie said still amused. 

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Ash asked sourly but there was humor to her tone. 

"Just a little bit. It was rather entertaining watching you at least try and strike me." Eddie said grinning at her. 

It couldn't be helped that Ash laughed, shaking her head as they both went to the shower room to wash up. She, however, frowned as a thought came to her. 

"Wasn't there a kill spot in the legs?" 

Eddie merely glanced at her before nodding. "Yes. This spot." He paused long enough to touch a spot on his own leg, near his groin. "That is where the femoral artery is here. It could be an accident or not, but one slash to this artery can have someone bleed out in the matter of minutes." He paused before growing serious. "Of course, there is one other spot for the male gender that is highly lethal."

Ash looked curiously at him and Eddie placed his fingers against his mid thigh in between his lower belly and nearest to his groin, which made her face heat up a little to see where he was indicating. 

"There is an main artery in the groin area for men. If a man was stabbed right here, in between the groin and belly button, he will bleed out within three minutes." Eddie informed her before dropping his hand away. "It is very fatal and not many not in medical field knows of how dangerous it is for a male to be stabbed there." 

Slowly, Ash nodded as she thought about it. "Is....is that why you....kind of stab....men......there?" She asked now blushing openly. 

Half shrug, half nodding, Eddie agreed. "Yes, partly. As you've noticed, most of those I kill, do tend to get stabbed in the most vulgar of areas. It kills them faster and plus it hurts. A lot." He told her, as he lead the way to the showers for them both to clean up. 

"That's......not the only reason." Ash couldn't help but mutter before wincing when she knew he had heard. 

He didn't look offended or like he was going to snap. He just nodded. "I will admit it. I'm not particularly fond of the male productive organ, other than my own. For obvious reason that you should be able to put two and two together. The things that some men do with their.....vulgarity parts......I'm not a fan of it. True, we do need it to produce children, which one day I would like my own. I would like to be a father much better than my own was. To prove I'm nothing like him." He told her. "I would never let anything happen to my children that happened to me. Or you, rather. You're not exactly too far away from where I was." 

Ash wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms as goosebumps raised a little. But she looked him over, half smiling. 

"You're definitely not like your father, Eddie. You're definitely better than him. I mean, look how you've treated me with nothing more than respect and your own way of kindness." She said softly. "I think you'd be a good dad." 

It couldn't be helped that Eddie turned a much warmer smile towards her. "Thank you, Darling. You have no idea how much that means to me to actually hear someone else say it." He told her and he did sound grateful. 

It was right then, they heard a distant clang. 

Immediately, Eddie was halting from going on before turning sharply and wrapping his arms around Ash, making her squeak. He moved quickly, lifting her up and tucking her behind a dark wall, pushing her gently against it and keeping her pinned there. He held up a finger to his lips to her before turning from her, yet keeping her pinned protectively against the wall.

Ash's heart was pounding as she listened hard and clutched onto his arm. She had heard it too, hearing clangs and foot steps. She really hoped it wasn't Blaire or any of the guards looking for her. She couldn't go back.

For the longest moment, they stood there, silently listening hard. 

There were distant whimpers traveling in the halls and that was what made Eddie relax but kept a rather hard look on his face. 

"Someone is down here. I think they perhaps brought me another patient to kill." The Groom.spoke before turning his head towards her. "I don't trust this, Ashton. Go find somewhere to hide. My room perhaps and stay there. Do not come out unless I come for you." He told her as he removed his arm.

Ash hesitated as she stepped away from him but slowly shook her head. "I'm.....wouldn't I be safer with you?" She asked nervously. 

Eddie shook his head as he now started to move away from her. "Not if I enter a crazed state. I am not stable, Darling. You may clear my mind when I'm near you but around other patients, I cannot be. They will kill us if I do not kill them. And I don't want to take the chance of harming you if I lose my mind. I am still dangerous. Remember that." He told her.

Slow, Ash nodded as she turned to go find somewhere to go hide. She hoped they wouldn't regret this but she went to find somewhere to be. 

She left him standing there as she went down the darkened hall. 

However, on the way back, she stopped near a pile of junk before frowning as she saw an opening inside it. A tipped over wardrobe and shelves. 

It was somewhere to hide and she wasn't too sure if going back to his room was the greatest idea, especially if someone wandered there. 

So, she climbed into the small open space and sat there, hidden in the pile, now listening and watching. She was trembling with fear and anxiety, he heart pounding in her chest.

But she waited. 

And then.....that's when she heard the screams. 

It made her jump and curl into herself, arms wrapping around her knees but she listened as someone, a man began screaming bloody murder. She only could listen hard as she sat in the darkness.

For a good while, she could hear a man screaming and it sound like he was running. He would get closer and farther away so it was obvious that he was running from Eddie. She could hear Eddie too. 

Barely, but she could hear him. 

And it did sound like he was out of it again. 

The things she could barely make out that he was saying, it did worry her. She couldn't make everything but she knew she heard him calling the runaway patient Darling and such names she had heard him sprout. 

She heard him that damn song of his at one point, probably stalking the poor guy who was more and likely going to die by the end of it. 

But Ash stayed hidden, heart pounding against her chest as she heard the man running and screaming. 

It scared her but at the same time, facinated her. She wanted to poke her head out and see if she could see Eddie hunting down the patient. It would be a good time to see......

And just as she had thought it, she heard a crash, making her jump and look out to see a man running into the hall, or rather limping. She had to cover her mouth to keep herself from crying out. 

But she watched him limping as fast he could down the hall. 

He wasn't fast enough. 

Because here came Eddie, stomping after him, looking menacing as ever as he grabbed the patient by the back of his shirt and yank him back. He had a hold of the patient, where he swung a fist into the man's side, making cry out in pain. 

The man was lifted up off the ground as Eddie reached behind his back and wielded a knife tightly in his hand. 

"Whore, wretched bitch! I try and I try but it seemes that you are not worthy of bearing my children! Filthy slut, you will hang with the rest of them!" Eddie snarled before sinking the knife into the man's pelvis, causing him to scream as he dropped to the ground. 

Ash watched in horror and fascination as Eddie dropped to his knees, pinning the dying patient and yanked thenknife up hard, through the man's inner thigh and up his belly, slicing deep. 

Ash couldn't help but watch with wide eyes as Eddie mutilated the man and a shuddering whimper escaped. 

She stiffened when Eddie's head turned with a jerk and the crazed look in his eyes turned her way.

"Well, we have another one, do we? Darling, why don't you come out? You shouldn't hide from me, your loving husband?" The Groom said now shifting towards her hiding spot. 

That made Ash snort as she shifted forward and pokednher head out, her eyes meeting his. "Yes, dear husband." She said laughing a little. 

And she watched as he blinked in surprise and his eyes sharpened into focus. 

After a moment of surprise, Eddie blinked a few times before giving his head a little shake as he focused back into reality again. "Oh, Ashton. It's you." He said before standing up and moving back. 

Ash couldn't help but laugh as she crawled out from her hiding spot, being mindful of the blood split everywhere. She eyed the man's body with a grimace but stood up, backing away from it. 

"So that's what you do." She said wonderingly. 

Eddie glanced down at the body, frowning before looking back ay her. "I thought I told you to go back to my room." He said rather reproachful. 

Shrugging, she looked back at him. "And risk this guy stumbling on your room and finding me. No thank you. I just found a place to hide. And of course I was kind of curious of how you did things. Was it tough hunting him down?" She asked motioning to the patient. "It sounded like he was giving you quite the run." 

Eddie frowned and folded his arms but shook his head. "He was rather quick but not quick enough. I was mostly playing with him. Still, I'm sorry you saw my state of madness. I didn't want you seeing that." He told her. 

"I'm not. You're teaching me, remember?" Ash asked before smirking at him. "Dear husband." She added teasingly. 

She watched his face turn pink from embarrassment. "Ah, yes. Sorry." He muttered sheepishly.

Ash just laughed shaking her head. "It's okay. You didn't know it was me. I think at this point, I don't mind if everyone thought that I was your bride or what not. Maybe if everyone did think that, they'd be too scared of you to come after me." She said before grinning and then hooking her hands togetheras if swooning as she leaned towards him, batting her eyes at him. "I mean, you wouldn't let anything happen to your pretty little wife, right?" She asked teasingly.

Eddie's face turned a shade darker but he snorted as he arched an eyebrow at her, smirking. "Of course not. And you're a little minx for even suggesting it." His eyes suddenly got brighter though as if an idea hit him. "Actually.....that's not a terrible idea." He muttered thoughtfully. 

Ash now blinked in surprise as she dropped her hands and stepped back. "Huh?" She asked confused. 

Eddie grinned as he dropped his arms and reached for her hand, making her own face heat up as he dropped down to one knee, holding her hand. "Ashton, why don't you become my bride? I could protect you better if you were. If you were my wife, no one would ever touch you if they do fear me." He told her.

"Eh?!" Ash just yelped as she stiffened, her face completely inflamed in red.


	14. The Bride

"It would be under pretence, of course. But if we do make everyone believe that we are married, I think they would think twice about approaching you or even harming you." Eddie told her, still kneeling before her, holding her hand. 

Ash was blushing madly but she didn't tug her hand away as he held it. She would hear him out, though her heart was pounding.

"Think of this way, pretend to be my wife, and you may be very well left alone. Those in this terrible place know that I am obsessed in madness of finding a wife and mother of my children." The Groom said, going on. "Even Blaire knows that. He has seen me countless times kill one of his men in my state of craze over the mere mention of my wife and bride. I will kill anyone who threatens you, even in my own state of mind. I am The Groom of Mount Massive Asylum. Become The Bride of Mount Massive Asylum, Darling. My Bride. Even if it will only be I and you who know we are pretending in your own safety." 

Ash listened, frowning and thought hard about it. She did understand it. It scared her to think about trying this.

But if it worked.......

Biting her lip, Ash looked into Eddie's eyes and stared into them. She knew it was worth a shot. It could be the only shot she had. It would mean extreme pretending, even probably pretending to have lost her mind completely to fit in a role of The Bride of Eddie Gluskin. 

Well.....Jeremy Blaire had told her to pretend to be a patient. 

If it meant survival, she didn't see why not take the chance? 

"How should we do this then? How do we convince everyone that I have become your Bride? And what if it doesn't work? I....it kind of scares me to think that Blaire wouldn't care if I was your Bride or not." Ash said nervously.

Eddie finally stood up, moving just a little bit closer to her and pressing the back of her hand against his chest, almost as if playing the part of a lover confessing his feelings to the woman he loved. "Not if you pretend to be as crazy as I am. Convince them that you are as mad as the rest of us are. Pretend to be The Bride, and it does mean killing some of the guards. Gain your own reputation of being feared. And together, we will convince them that you are just as dangerous as I am." He told her. 

Again, Ash bit her lip as she thought about it. She knew it had to be the only way. She had to become a killer in this place. 

It was the only way of surviving. 

"I think.......you're right." She said slowly before smiling at him. "And to add to it, I think our home needs a little more decorating." She looked around. "Maybe even hold a ceremony of marriage for them to see. Think Father Martin can officiate the wedding?" She asked now grinning at him. 

Eddie grinned back as henfinally dropped his hand but along with hers, still holding it. "He's not really a priest. He thinks he is, as far as I know. He can officiate a ceremony without actually officiating it. So it won't be real. And we can hold a ceremony right before everyone's eyes. Any who tries to stop our wedding from happening will face the wrath of The Groom." He said almost as if cherishing those words. 

"And The Bride." Ash said smirking. "I guess I better practice more with my killing tactics. Care to show me for real?" 

Eddie smirked right back before looking down at the dead body. "We have a new dummy to use. It will not be pleasant but I think it is necessary for you to learn how to really kill someone. He's already dead but....it is high time that you learn that real bodies can be hard to stab." He told her as he let go of her hand and grabbed the body by the foot. 

Therefore, the messier lessons of killing began.

Ash did not like these lessons but she knew she had to practice on a body. She knew sooner or later, she better get used to it. She was going to have to kill Blaire, so she had better get used to blood and guts. 

Eddie Gluskin stripped the patient down and hung up the body and began showing her the kill points again. He was patient with her as he had her stab the body with a real knife this time. He was patient as it took many tries for her to even make a real stab. 

Ash did end up throwing up the first few times as it made her sick to think of stabbing a real body and she was glad that Eddie didn't seem cross with her. 

In fact, he was sympathetic with her. 

But after hours of trying to practice with the body, she began making the stabs. She would stab the body over and over until she wasn't nauseous any more, that she wasn't trembling. 

She just pretended that it was Blaire and that was how she looked past killing. In reality, she did want to kill him for what he had done to her. So it made it that much easier for her to stab the body. 

It was days of practice and eventually the body couldn't be stabbed anymore. Plus the smell of decay was getting nastier by the days.

Therefore, Eddie threw it out for the guards to collect. 

In those days, Ash talked with him, learning more about how he acted and even tried applying it to herself. She figured if she was going to act like a patient, be a little like him. And if she was going to play the part of his wife, she needed to know what he liked in his women.

It was amusing, actually. 

Because when she asked him what his type was, he was stumped. He didn't know what exactly to say avout what he liked. But either way, it came down to him telling her just be herself, other than pretending to be in love with him. 

Another patient was sent down only a few days after the last and this time, guards stood by to watch Eddie kill this one, which had them both frowning as they remained hidden in the shadows. They had thrown the man in the basketball court and they stood in the upper levels, where there was glass windows over looking the court.

"They're looking for you." Eddie whispered to her as they watched the guards and the patient, who had curled up in a corner in the basketball court. 

Ash eyed the guards with a grimace as she stood behind Eddie. She didn't like this. She knew that they had to be looking for her. It was that, or they were waiting for Eddie to start stalking his prey while they began looking to see if she was there. 

"What do we do?" 

Eddie made a face as he turned his eyes towards the patient before looking at them again. He was silent for a good long moment before he smirked and looked at her. "Do you think you can play your part as my Bride? Are you ready to take your first life?" He asked seriously yet with a smirk.

Ash looked nervously at him but shrugged. "I....guess there's really only one way to find out. I've practiced with the last one on where to stab. And pretending it being Blaire helps." She said and she didn't hide the tremble in her voice. 

Eddie just shook his head as he took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Just remember that if you don't kill them, they will kill you. If you're not ready to end someone, I understand. Just distract him. We are going to introduce you as my Bride though. They will not stop looking for you so let's let them know where you are and we have no intention in letting them make you leave my side." He told her.

Ash nodded as she looked at the patient and then at the guards. She frowned before giving his hand a squeeze. "Ok. I got it. Don't come out yet. I have an idea." She told him before releasing his hand. 

Eddie stepped back into the darkness of the hall and watched carefully. He would step if he had to but he was letting her take the lead on this one. 

Ash stood there for a moment, thinking of how she was going to do this. She looked down at the patient dress she was wearing, grimacing a little but then looked back at Eddie. 

'Hm. He sometimes sings to let them know where he is. Why don't I do the same?' She thought to herself as she smiled faintly to herself. 

There was only one song she knew how to sing. It was a song that her brother to her when they were kids. A lullaby, but still one that she knew. 

Looking forward again, Ash took a deep breath and then began humming a low, soft but haunting song. She finally began walking forward, humming as if she wasn't doing anything else but wandering. 

"Are you, are you coming to the tree." She began to sing in a low, soft tone. "They strung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be. If we met at midnight. In the hanging tree."

She stepped further into the basketball court, hearing the patient start as she walked into the room, twirling a little as if dancing as the moon light shone into the window. She didn't look at him but had glanced up at the window to see that the guards had noticed her. She didn't stare at them as she just twirled lightly as if that was all she was going to do.

"Are you, are you, Coming to the tree. Where dead man called out, for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." Ash sang a little bit louder as she twirled to a stop to face the patient.

Only when she was facing him, she feigned surprise to see him, her hand touching her mouth and she put a frightened look on her face.

The patient was staring at her in surprise as he stood up and now moving towards her but very slowly. 

Ash did feel real anxiety rolling around inside of her as she moved back. She cringed back, looking right at the man, who moved closer. "You....who are you?! What are you doing in my house?" She spoke in a demanding voice. 

The man continued to move towards her, a slow crazed smile on his face as he moved even closer and even started reaching out towards her. "Pretty songbird. Pretty songbird. Such a pretty pretty...." he now spoke, now starting to move forward. 

Putting a fierce look on her face, Ash backed away, her eyes flashing almost angrily. "Do not touch me, you....you filthy slut!" She snapped now wrapping her arms around herself before she turned towards the hall where Eddie was. "My love! My dear, dear love! Edward!" She called before flinching when she heard the man now moving faster towards her. 

She didn't even bother looking at the patient as she ducked quickly and scrambled for the hall, where she did see Eddie now moving forward, placing his fierce, menacing grin on his face. 

"Pretty, pretty, pretty.....I want to strangle you, pretty pretty songbird!" The patient called now chasing her. 

Only to suddenly skid to a halt, a terrified look on his face when Eddie Gluskin stepped into the basketball court, arms out stretched as Ash ran into them. 

"My Darling, here you are." Eddie spoke before his eyes flashed as he pulled Ash right into his arms tightly and now growling as he looked right at the patient. "What is this?! A filthy slut in our home?! Did you invite this whore into our home, my dear wife?" 

Ash gave the patient a scornful look before pressing the side of her face against his chest. "Of course not, my love! He is filthy and gross and he is not welcome into our home! I don't want him here! He tried to touch me when I told him not to! I don't want his dirty hands on me at all! The only hands that gets to touch me is only yours!" She said adding a loving tone to her voice as she batted her eyes up at Eddie. 

Eddie just cupped her cheek almost tenderly before he turned his menacing look onto the now frightened patient, who was now backing away. "You, filthy beast of a whore! You do not touch what is not yours! She is mine! My wife, my bride!" He snapped now reaching behind his back and pulling out a knife, which he held out to Ash. 

Ash did hesitate for a second before taking the knife and tightly holding it as she watched him reach for a second knife tucked into his belt line. 

Both held a knife as they turned to face the patient, who was now backing away slowly and looking terrified. 

"His Bride, only his!" Ash echoed as she slowly began moving away from Eddie, almost stalking the man. She saw Eddie now moving the opposite way, definitely stalking him. Her eyes merely flicked up at the guards. 

The guards were now talking in radios, obviously reporting this incident to Blaire. They were looking for her, she realized. And she just revealed herself to them. 

Too late to hide now. 

Curling her lips in the most sinister way she could, she tried to put a crazed look on her face as she looked right at the patient, who was looking quickly in between her and Eddie, who was stalking to right behind him. He couldn't figure out who to watch, who was the bigger threat. 

"Are you, are you coming to the tree." Ash began to sing again as she looked the man right in the eyes, who turned with a jerk to look at her. "They strung up a man, who they say murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be. If we met at midnight in the hanging tree." 

The patient stared at her for a moment before snarling now charging towards her. He figured she was the least threat. 

Ash reafied herself as she stepped back, raising the knife, which caused the patient to stumble to a halt. She just put a smile on her face as she watched Eddie come right up to behind the patient, his knife raised. 

"Such a good husband, protecting your Bride." Ash couldn't help but remark almost lovingly. 

And Eddie stabbed the man from behind, making him scream out in pain and try to yank away from him. He stopped him by throwing an arm around the man's neck, yanking him back. 

Ash swooped in, swinging the knife she held and sinking it hard and fast into the patient's chest, right under the ribcage. She stabbed hard and even yanked up the blade to make sure it went deeper. 

The man screamed and thrashed but screamed again when Eddie swung his knife into his side, holding him tightly against himself but smiling almost lovingly at Ash. 

"My dear good Bride, you've learned so well." Eddie said sparing her a wink before he yanked his blade out and just let the man drop to the ground, where he just stomped on his head, killing him faster. He held out his rather bloodied hand towards her. 

Ash hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and letting him pull her right up against him, where she planted her own bloodied hands against his chest, smiling up at him. "Loving husband." She said fondly. 

"Until death do us part, you are my Bride, my Darling." Eddie said before he bent down and placed his lips right against the corner of her lips. 

Ash's face heated up but she did the same, almost as if she was kissing him before pulling back and looking them both over. She made a look at their bloodied clothes. "Oh, my dear love, our clothes are filthy! I just mopped the floors too! This will not do! I will not have us undoing all my hard work of keeping house!" She cried out in disgust. 

Eddie laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, now turning them both towards the shower room. He walked with her, arms still around her. "Of course, a woman's work is never done, is it not! Let us clean up and then you should start on our supper!" He said as he practically lead her. 

Ash pulled only slightly away, lightly slapping his arm. "You mean we, Luv! I am not cooking alone! You can help me! And then later, I'll reward you for being such a good husband!" She said trying so hard not to laugh. She even added a scantily wink at him. 

She saw that Eddie was trying so hard not to laugh either as he kept his arms around her. "Darling, don't be so vulgar! We have not had our ceremony yet! And we cannot consummate our love until the ceremony!" He said rather loudly but trying to tear the grin from his face. 

Ash sighed rather dramatically as she leaned against him, her hands wrapped onnhis arm. "I cannot wait until I am Mrs Eddie Gluskin! To think that I would be so lucky to have such a strong, handsome, loving husband like you! A girl like me could only be so lucky." She said dreamily before gasping as she looked right up at the guards who stiffened when they did notice that they had been spotted. "Oh, dear! There are more! They're are breaking into our house!" 

Eddie snarled as he let her go, only to pull her behind her. "How dare you look upon my Bride! My Darling wife, let us show them that they do not belong in our home!" He snarled now starting to run towards the hall that would lead to the stairs. 

Ash made to run after him, nodding as she went. "The Groom and his Bride, protect what is ours!" She added with a shout. 

The guards were very quick to running out of there as fast as they could. They were not sticking around at all to face two crazy people 'in love'. And both Ash and Eddie doubled over, laughing as hard as they could. 

The start of the rumors of Eddie Gluskin's Bride began to spread throughout the Asylum. It was the two guards who had told Blaire and everyone else but it was spreading quickly, like wildfire. 

But it did spread. 

Everyone, by the end of a few days would know of The Bride.


	15. Bride and Groom

It was a week before Eddie allowed Ash to wander out of his space with him. He hadn't let her leave his space at all since her time of hiding there but if they were really going to test other patients and draw fear out of them of The Bride, they would have to leave. 

But he had no intention at all of ever letting her leave his side. 

Most of the days, he had left her to hide in his space and there had been plenty of places for her to hide in. He had left each morning to go breakfast and bring her back some food but also to see how things were progressing. 

And as he had expected, the news of The Bride were spreading. 

The two guards who had witnessed Ash killing the patient with Eddie Gluskin had reported it to Blaire, who was extremely angry over the past two weeks of his toy missing. It just didn't help that this type of gossip amongst guards spread to the patients as well. 

Eventually a few other patients went asking Eddie, who wore a deadly scowl on his face as he told them to leave it alone! He was surprised at himself for keeping his own head when talking about Ash, saying that she was his Bride and no one was to ever talk to her or about her without his permission. 

It was her eyes that he kept seeing and because of it, he was level headed. 

But he did keep up the appearance that he was insane about Ash. 

Nonetheless, the day did come when Ash would need to at least show herself as The Bride. 

Eddie, just for the occasion, had made her a new dress for her to wear on her venture of leaving the "house". He was limited on his supplies of course so it was another patient's uniform or rather three but he made her a new dress. 

It was fashioned like a 50's housewife dress, with frills he made from the fabric. He did, however, make a pretty little bow and ribbon from scraps that was around the waist.

Ash loved the dress as she tried it on and once again, it was a perfect fit. She couldn't help but giggle over it as she showed it to Eddie, who smiled proudly at his work as he watched her twirl a little bit. 

"Now let's go show you off as my Bride, my Darling wife." Eddie said as they walked up the stairs where guards were waiting to take them to breakfast. 

Unfortunately, Blaire was there in the cafeteria and he didn't look happy at all. 

Ash immediately glued herself to Eddie's side, clutching onto his side while his arm remained tightly around her waist as they entered the cafeteria, where every patient stopped what they were doing to stare at the 'couple'. 

It couldn't be helped that Ash was scared and she curled even tighter into Eddie's side, who glared around at everyone until they had no choice but to look away out of fear. 

That glare turned towards Blaire as he stood with guards, and a snarl practically etched onto Eddie's face. 

Blaire met that glare with his own before he muttered something to the guards, whom did not look too happy as they started moving towards the two. They looked afraid to even approach the two but it was obvious of what they had been ordered to do. 

Ash felt Eddie's arm tighten into a vicegrip and he practically curled around her as the guards approached. She tightened her own hold onto him and fixed her own glare onto the guards.

There were murmurs of patients as they began backing away. They sensed the fight coming and some even started to flee the room. 

The guards were now starting to circle the two, looking ready for the fight. They had been ordered to take her from him. They were eyeing her and Eddie carefully, obviously trying to think of a way to do this without being killed by a very angry and dangerous Groom. 

But as they approached, the guards stiffened and halted, looking anxious now. 

Eddie and Ash both sensed someone behind them and they turned to look to see who it was. They were both surprised to see the Twins now standing behind them, both puffing out their chests to make theirselves seem even bigger as they moved around the two, to block the guards from them.

It did not help when Frank Manera moved into view, standing at their sides, grinning a deadly grin. 

"Hey now." The Cannibal spoke up as he stood right beside the pair, a hand on Eddie's shoulder, who had stiffened himself at the contact. "I would think twice, Blaire. About taking Gluskin's Bride from him. She got a couple of big brothers here. And I don't think they're willing to allow you to touch her." He warned. 

Blaire growled and glared at the whole packnof patients. "I would think twice about this, the whole lot of you! That girl is coming with us now. She is to be punished!" He snapped. 

Eddie growled as his grip on Ash turned into vice. "I will not allow you to touch my Bride, Blaire! She is mine now! My wife! No one will touch what is mine!" He snarled. 

"Your wife? You have got to be fucking kidding me, Gluskin! She is not your wife! You kill women!" Blaire snapped back. "For her own safety, she is.....!"

"Touch her and I will kill every single one of you and your men, Blaire!" Eddie snarled as he glared right at the warden. 

"Enough of this! Sedate every one of them! Take that bitch from him and drag her ass.......!" Blaire was ordering. 

But his words stopped dead on what happened next. 

For a darkness began closing in the room, startling everyone as the shadows from the corners of the room began moving towards Ash and Eddie and the Walrider rose up behind them, with shadowy tendrils curling around them and even spreading out warningly almost like wings spreading out in the air. 

The Walrider hissed and growled as even it seemed to embrace the two in protection. 

Ash looked up at the Walrider which was hissing and growling as it seemed to glare right at Blaire and thenguards, who all did back away with growing fear of their own. 

Blaire seemed too stumped in his own fear to see the Walrider now protecting the pair. He couldn't even form words as the demonic figure wrapped its tendrils around Ash and Eddie. 

It even ignored the patients that stood with them. 

But it growled and hissed right at the guards, who backed away with murmurs of fear. 

"Sh-shit......" Blaire muttered as he turned a glare onto Ash, who slowly smirked before prying herself from Eddie's side but held his hand now, standing proudly. She realized she had nothing to fear now. 

There was no way that Blaire would be stupid enough to cross the Walrider if it even stood against them.

"I am his Bride, Blaire. And you're not taking me from him." She found herself saying almost too smugly as she wrapped herself around Eddie's arm, who grinned right back at her, his other hand now around her own arm. 

"You stupid bitch." Blaire growled before flinching when the Walrider snapped a nasty growl in his direction. "You better watch yourself, Ash. He won't always be there to protect you." 

Ash smirked at him as she reached up and touched the Walrider's arm, which seemed to curl around her hand, almost caressing her hand and downnher arm. "Maybe. Especially with his therapy. But.....I'm sure I won't be unguarded. It's always watching, Jerry. And I don't think it likes you." She said acidly. 

The Walrider snapped in the air, making even Blaire flinch and back away as it practically covered her and Eddie. 

Growling angrily, Blaire turned on his heel, snapping his fingers sharply before marching from the room with guards scampering after him. 

Everything seemed to settle as the Walrider drew back but remained hovering near Ash as she turned in Eddie's arms to look up at it. She smiled gratefully up at it as it turned its empty eye sockets towards her. She reached out for it and it allowed her to caress its cheekbones. 

"Thank you, Billy. Walrider. I appreciate it." Ash said softly. 

The Walrider just nodded before disappearing in whisps of shadows, returning to the corners of the room. 

It was dead silent as Ash now looked around at the Twins and even Frank, who were watching her curiously. 

"Thank you." She added to them. 

Frank just grinned at her and even gave her a thumbs up. "Nah, thank you, Missy. You seem to be causing quite a stir amongst the patients. Ain't no guard been daring to go down to Gluskin's place a while now since you've vanished. So he's stowed you away, eh?" He asked wraggling his eyebrows at her.

Ash laughed while Eddie growled but she played the part as she pressed her cheek against his arm, nuzzling him a bit. "Of course! And we're engaged! I'm lucky to have such a good, strong husband to take care of me!" She said almost too brightly. 

Eddie chuckled as he patted her hands on his arm. "And I am lucky to have such a devoted, beautiful wife." He said fondly. 

Frank snorted as he folded his arms, eyeing them both. "Oh, come off it, ya two. I see what you're doing. Frankly speaking, without punning my own name, it's brilliant. Who came up with the idea?" The Cannibal asked grinning. 

Ash patted Eddie right on the chest, indicating him so not to make others realize that it was an act. 

But Frank just nodded as he looked right at Eddie, nodding an approval. "Good boy. Ya keep Little Missy safe, ya hear. She don't belong here. Blaire's fucking stupid to have messed with her. Soon enough, I'm betting ya that Death is going to come knocking on his door." He stated. 

"Until he does, she stays with me at all times. She is my Bride to be until he does return for her." Eddie said a little more quietly as he held onto Ash's hands with his own. 

"Praise to God that she is safe." Came the voice of the Priest from behind them. 

Ash and Eddie turned to see Father Martin now moving closer to them. She smiled faintly at the short man while Eddie just groaned lightly. "Father Martin." She greeted him. 

Father Martin merely smiled at her, his hands folded together. "I can see what you're doing as well. While I would not actually look to Edward for protection," he earned an irritated growl from said man. "I think it is quite a brilliant idea as well. I find it surprising that this has happened. But it does warm my heart to see him so calm." 

Ash just smiled as she glanced up at Eddie, who was quite stiff actually. "He's been helping me. He's just fine. I've been hidden away from Blaire for about a total of two weeks now." She said before brightening. "And we're to be married! Father Martin, would you officiate our marriage?" She asked, diving into her part as The Bride. 

Father Martin just chuckled but shook his head as he looked between her and Eddie. "A good plan, Edward. And a risky one. But still good. Are you sure you will not lose control if this is to be done?" He asked softly. 

"She calms my mind. I do not think I would lose it with her around me. It is of course, false as you can see. I can tell you see behind our deception but it is for her safety." Eddie said lowering his voice. "Blaire will try to take her but I will not allow it. As Frank has said, she doesn't belong here and she does not deserve what has been done to her. It may be a risk we must take, but I have every intention to make sure she leaves safely." 

"Redemption to yourself then. And I think it could be redemption and salvation to all of us. The Walrider protects her along with you and us." Father Martin said smiling. "I think you may be right. She needs to leave in time, safely. And if this is the way, then I will take part in keeping her safe." He even bowed his head respectfully towards them both. "I will gladly officiate your marriage." 

Ash and Eddie both smiled at each other, knowing that they had all the backup they needed.

It was just a shame.....it backfired later. 

The plans went ahead and the circle of patients that were in on it made them together. They spoke of how they were going to do this.

They would hold the 'wedding' in the chapel and there would be patients allowed to be guests as long as they didn't try to harm the Bride to be. They would conduct the false ceremony amongst the eyes of guards, of course because nothing could be done without them watching over anything. 

It would be another week until the "ceremony" so there was things to do. 

Eddie would, of course, make the wedding dress for Ash and he did work with her to making it. They worked on it when they had their off time in their space. He eould stand her up on a stool as he went over the materials he did have. 

But he wasn't satisfied with what he had to work with. 

It was too their surprise, not long before that day in the cafeteria when guards showed up with rolls of fresh new material of white silk, satin and lace. They gave them the material with only the comments of wedding gifts from the warden. 

That put both Ash and Eddie on their guard. 

"Blaire is up to something. He would not be so generous of giving these to us if he weren't." Eddie said with a growl but couldn't help but admire the materials he now had to work with. 

Ash frowned as she touched the material, herself, feeling the softness of the fabric. "What do you think he's up to?" She asked suspiciously. 

Eddie shook his head as he unrolled some of the fabric to look them over. "I do not know. But this is fine material. If I had to guess, he's playing with along with us. We must be on our guard with this plot." He told her. 

They didn't like this but they would play along to see if they could find out what Blaire was playing at. 

But nonetheless, Eddie was somewhat excited that he now had material to work with. He began drawing designs of clothing on sketchpads that he had found lying around. He began designing clothing for himself and for her.

By the end of the week, the dress was made. 

Ash was amazed with how much Eddie was able to get done within that week, but she figured it was due to he didn't seem to need much sleep so he did work late in the night while she slept. 

Still, once the dress was completed, Ash had to stare at it with awe.

The dress was a 50's style but very beautiful to look at. The top half was lacy see through with long sleeves attached to the gown with thin straps under and the bodice was heart shaped as the front and straps in the back. The skirt of the gown was like an upside down lily with a strip down one side from the knees. See through lace served as an outer skirt to the white silk and a silver white ribbon tied around the waist with an elegant bow. 

Nonetheless, it was simply beautiful to look at and Ash voiced that Eddie as he rubbed the backnof his neck sheepishly. 

"I can't believe you made this in one week, Eddie! It's gorgeous!" Ash said fondly as she admired his work. 

Eddie blushed as he couldn't look at her without looking bashful. "Would you like to try it on, Darling?" He asked almost shyly. 

Ash laughed as shengave him a sly look. "I thought it was bad luck for the groom to see the Bride before the wedding, hm?" She asked teasingly and even nudged his arm. 

Chuckling, Eddie rubbed his arm where she nudged him but shrugged at the same time. "Ah, well, yes. But right the moment, I'm not the groom. I'm the tailor. I think it's safe to say that we can have you try on the dress to see if it fits." He said shyly.

Ash just laughed as she nodded and helped him pull the dress off of the mannequin he had made it on. She took the dress into another room, where she changed into it. 

Amazingly, the dress was a perfect fit for her and she felt someone new wearing it. The only problem was, she couldn't tie the straps in the back. 

So, she stepped out of the room, trying to hold the back close as she approached Eddie, who's back was turned to her. "Eddie, can you tie the back for me? I can't reach the straps." She told him. 

Eddie turned back towards her and froze as he looked at her. He looked surprised as he looked her over in his creation. 

Ash frowned curiously but slowly smiled as she noticed him look her over. It made her face warm as she realized he was actually astonished. "Wh-what?" She asked her turn to turn shy. 

Blinking out of his stupor, Eddie merely smiled almost in awe. "Forgive me, Darling. But....you look rather lovely in that dress." He told her. 

Again, Ash blushed before turning slightly. "Th-thank you. Can you....uh, tie the back?" She asked still holding the straps. 

Eddie nodded as he moved forward and twirled a finger for her to turn completely around. He waited for her to turn before started to tie the straps. 

But he stopped and she felt his surprise. 

Ash tilted her head to look at him and saw him staring at her back. She frowned at the look on his face before her eyes flashed as she remembered. 

Her scars. 

She had forgotten about her scars on her back. 

"Oh.....um....." she muttered now embarrassed. 

Eddie blinked as he snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at her and then began tying the straps snugly against her back. He did, however, pause to finger at one long angry but healed scar down between her shoulder blades. "Did.....your mother do that?" He murmured softly. 

Ash lowered her head a little but then nodded. "I....I forgot about them. I....um.....yeah. She....she used to whip me with an Acacia branch." She said softly. 

"I'm not....familiar with that. What is that?" Eddie asked as he fingered another scar on her back. 

Sighly a little shakily, Ash shook her head as she kept her ling blonde hair out of the way for him to tie the straps. "A tree in Australia. Think of a rose bush with very sharp thorns. Only thicker and sturdier. The thorns....could grow to an inch long and very strong if they weren't picked off when the tree was young." She said and her eyes watered a little with the memory. "Any time I was bad, in her mind, she pulled her Acacia branch and would whip me. It was only five times each time but it.....it was enough to make those." 

Eddie found himself growling at her memory but he lightly touched the scars, as if soothing the pain that came from the memory. "I noticed them before, the night you came here. But forgotten them until now. Do they still hurt?" He asked her. 

"Sometimes my back itches but they don't really hurt any more." Ash told him as she wiped the fresh tears from her eyes before turning and smiling shyly at him. "So, how do I look?"

Eddie stepped back and looked her over but smiled. "Beautiful. That dress suits you. I am pleased of how it turned out." He told her. 

Again, Ash blushed and looked shyly away. 

"You will definitely be the belle of the ball as we have our false ceremony and every eye shall be on you as we dance." Eddie said fondly. 

Ash blinked in surprise, now looking at him. "Wa-wait....what?" She asked startled. 

Eddie merely smiled as he folded his arms and tilted his head. "If we're to be married, we might as well have a little fun with it. A reception perhaps. You do realize that there is a dance between Bride and Groom, do you not?" He asked amused. 

A horrified look was on Ash's face as she looked painfully at him, and that made him frown. "Ooooh, um....." she muttered in embarrassment. 

Again, Eddie frowned at her. "What? You do not want to dance with me?" He asked skeptically. 

"I.....um.....can't dance. I never.....learned how to dance. Kyle was a mercenary. He didn't exactly have time to put me into dancing classes." Ash said grimacing weakly. 

The Groom stared at her in surprise for a good long moment. "You've never danced? What about your Prom? Surely you attended school dances?" He asked still surprised.

Grimacing even more, Ash shook her head. "Um....nope. All of the boys were too intimidated by Simon to ask me to Prom. He didn't think....any guy was worthy of me and was constantly scaring them off. Never had a boyfriend up until I was 23. And even that didn't last. The only boyfriend I've ever had got scared shitless when he did try some moves on me and I said no. And of course, Simon being the overbearing, protective brother he was stepped in and scared him off. No one has ever asked me to dances or on dates because of him." She said laughing nervously and in embarrassment. 

Sighing rather dramatically, Eddie shook his head before he turned from her and went across the room, where his record player was. He put the disc on and started to play that horrible old song. 

And then he moved back towards her, placing a hand on her waist and pulling her close. 

"All right then. I'll teach you how to dance as well. We cannot have you not knowing how to dance, Darling." Eddie said as he took her hand and placed it on his shoulder and the used the other to take her hand. 

Again, Ash was blushing as she was pulled in close. "I...uh.....is it really that important?" She asked with embarrassment as she tried to step back. 

But she got lightly tugged lightly back as Eddie fixed where her hands were to go. "No, no. You get to learn how to dance. My Darling, you cannot go on without at least one dance. It's horrible that your brother tortured suitors for you. But I suppose it is a plus because I get to be your first dance." He told her. 

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he brought her close to him until they were merely touching chests and he made her lift her head up high to look right at him.

"Don't worry about your feet. If you step on my feet, that's fine." Eddie told her. 

Ash scoffed as she gave him a look before looking down at their feet. "Well, considering you have shoes on and I don't, I'm not worried about stepping on your feet." She said a tiny bit smartly but there was a hint of amusement. 

Looking down, Eddie then grimaced as he realized it. She had no shoes. She hadn't had any shoes since she even arrived. It was a surprise she hadn't stubbed a toe or stepped on something sharp this entire time. 

"Ah, that is a problem." Eddie said before he stepped back and just kicked off his shoes he was wearing. And the bare foot to bare foot with her, he positioned them again. "There. Now we won't have to worry about that. Now, I will lead. Just follow my direction. Relax and allow the music to take you." He told her. 

Again, she scoffed but was allowing him to direct her to sway her to the music. "This song, I'm sorry to say, is horrible, Eddie. It's so tacky. Come on." She laughed. 

"It is my favorite song, if you must know." Eddie said trying to sound offended but laughing. 

"It's about a guy who practically wants to marry his mom, Eddie." Ash teased but laughed. 

"A girl like his mother." He bantered with her but was grinning. 

"Puh-lease, spare me." Ash said laughing but she swayed with him in a dance. 

Again, Eddie laughed and shook his head as he lead her into the dance. "It's a classic." He tried again in amusement. 

"Okay, I'll give you that one. But it's still horrible." Again she laughed. 

Eddie chuckled as he looked down at her as a thoughtful look formed on his face. "Tell me about the song you sang the other night. What song was that?" He asked her. 

Ash paused to think of which song before it dawned on her. "Oh, you mean The Hanging Tree song. It's a lullaby Simon used to sing to me when I had troubled sleeping. I used to have horrible nightmares and Simon sang that to me to calm me." She told him.

"Sing it for me. I'd like to hear it." Eddie said before stopping their dance to turn and switch off the record player. He turned back to her blushing again. "Sing." 

Ash grimaced but shook her head. "I....I don't know. I'm not much of a singer, Eddie." She said in embarrassment. 

Eddie chuckled but pulled her back in for more dancing. "Come now. You're not terrible. You even took me by surprise when you started singing to that patient. Please, Darling. Sing it for me." He said with a playful pout. 

Sighing in amusement, Ash gave him quite a look but caved in. She figured why not.

"Are you, are you, Coming to the tree. They strung up a man, They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here, No stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." Ash began to sing softly. 

"Are you, are you coming to the tree where dead man called out, For his love to flee. Strange things did happen here no stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." Ash continued to sing as she looked Eddie, who remained silent but looked peaceful to hear the song. 

"Are you, are you coming to the tree, where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." She continued. 

"Are you, are you coming to the tree. Wear a necklace of hope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." She stopped singing it, blushing. "The song kind of just repeats itself from there." She added after a moment. 

Nonetheless, Eddie smiled as he looked very passive as he continued to sway with her in the now silence. "It's lovely. Haunting but lovely. And you can sing. I think it's my new favorite. " He told her. "To think, my blushing Bride will sing quite lovely for our children." He said almost teasingly and even winking at her. 

Ash laughed nervously but lightly slapped his arm but she couldn't help but feel exhilarated as well. She knew this was all for pretend but it was a delight to hear. 

And her heart never stopped fluttering.


	16. When The Wedding Bells Toll

It was the day of the false wedding finally. 

Preparations had been made and things were being set up for it. It was strange that the Asylum was working with this whole thing and it didn't make Ash or Eddie feel easier about it. 

The night before, Eddie had refused to even let Ash leave his side from their space, even when Father Martin offered to let her stay with him and the Twins as guards. He wouldn't hear of her leaving his side at all. 

While the tradition was to separate the Bride and Groom the night before the wedding, neither one wanted to follow that tradition. It made her scared to think of leaving Eddie's side and he just flat out refused it. 

While he was a traditionalist, Eddie would happily ignore this one. 

He would not take the risk of her being cornered by Blaire or his men, even if the Walrider was silently guarding her. 

So the morning of the false wedding, Ash woke up to being gently shaken by Eddie and she found him getting dressed in the same outfit she met him in when she came to him there. She looked curiously at him as she watched him buttoning up his shirt and vest. 

"You're wearing that? I though you made yourself a suit?" She asked curiously. 

Eddie just faintly smiled at her but shook his head. "Don't like it?" He asked almost teasingly. 

Ash shook her head as she clumbed off the mattress and stretching her arms. "It's not that. It's quite dashing, really. I thought you just made a new one." She said before pushing herself to her feet. 

"I probably should have but I'm rather fond of thisnone. It may be old and slightly dirty, though I do clean it every time I wear it." Eddie said as he now began tying his bow tie. "It actually is the very first suit I have ever made myself. I'm surprised that Murkoff let me keep it." 

Dawning feel on Ash as she slowly nodded. "Oh, you made that before coming here." She said in understanding. 

Eddie just nodded as he looked down at the vest, now picking at a stray string poking from one of the seams. "When I was nineteen. I made this from material I had stashed in my room and would work on it when I wasn't working for my father and uncle out in our fields. It's a bit tighter than it used to be. I suppose I have filled it out a little bit. I'm not exactly the same size as I used to be." He stated. 

Smiling, Ash reached out and brushed off his shoulder of anything that didn't belong. "I like it. It looks really good on you." She told him. 

He just smiled back at her before lightly touching her back. "Come now. The ceremony will be held soon. The chapel will be open for a noon ceremony and that is when we shall, as we say, tie the knot. Go get cleaned up and then get dressed. I'll help you with your hair." He told her. 

"Oh, you're a hairdresser now, are you?" Ash asked grinning at him. 

Eddie chuckled but shrugged. "I used to help my mother with her hair. She taught me how to braid hair. It's like braiding material for a design. And sometimes I would help girls of my school when they allowed me to." He told her. 

Ash just nodded but she went to do as she was told. She didn't have to go far from him to clean up and she felt more at ease of showering in the shower rooms, especially when she heard crackling of electricity. 

She knew the Walrider was staying close and she felt at ease with it. 

So she showered, cleaned up and then put the dress on, going to Eddie to tie the back again. She even sat down on a stool with a bit of fabric on it to keep the dress from getting dirty as Eddie gently used his fingers to comb her hair. He was very gentle with knots and could easily have them undone without tugging any strands. 

Once he combed her hair out, he began braiding her hair and pulling it up until it was a very nice braided bun on the back of her head with small strands along the sides that seemed to curl on their own. 

"Lovely, Darling. You are a very lovely Bride." Eddie toldnher as he looked her over. 

Again, Ash blushed as she looked bashfully away from him. "Thank you." She told him. 

"And now, the veil." Eddie added before turning from her to pick up a soft meshy pile of fabric and he turned back, carefully setting it over her head to drape. He nodded an approval as he stepped back to admire her. "Ah, it's a shame this is just a plot of keeping you safe. I'm almost tempted of just keeping you for myself." He said teasingly. 

Ash's face grew extremely hot and she playfully glowered at him. She swore her face was on fire. "Hey, any more of that, and I swear I'm going to be permanently red. Stop. Making. Me. Blush." She scowled at him. 

Eddie just laughed heartily and even covered his mouth as he doubled over a bit. "You are so easy to tease, Darling. I cannot help it." He said laughing. "You know, I do believe I have laughed more than I ever did in my entire life when I'm with you. It has been a very long time since I found myself laughing. Even before coming to Mount Massive. So thank you." He said to her fondly. 

Ash felt her face warm up again but she moved closer to him and linked their arms together. "All right, Mr Gluskin. Are you ready to be married to the most charming girl you know?" She asked again teasing him right back. 

Eddie chuckled before he began leading her out. "You're the only girl I know.....oof!" He grunted when she elbowed him in the side but laughed.

There were guards at the entrance of their space, waiting to take the pair to the chapel, all armed but looked quite nervous to actually be there near the two. They lead the two down the halls of the building to administration, where there were plenty of nurses and doctors staring at them in surprise. 

Quite a few of them did look surprised to even see Ash in a wedding dress, arm in arm with Eddie Gluskin. 

But one caught her eyes. 

A man stood amongst them who didn't quite look like he belonged there. He didn't look like he was Murkoff at all, in fact, despite he did have a Murkoff badge. 

He was a young man, probably not much older than her. He actually looked younger than her with sandy blonde and brown hair and soft brown eyes. 

His eyes......

They were like hers, at one point.

Surprisingly innocent.

He was about as tall as she was, if not just a little taller. He was also thin and slightly gangly looking. He had a young face, almost boyish and no scruff of hair on it. He was kind of nerdy looking, actually. He wore a tan colored long sleeved shirt with blue jeans and red tennis shoes.

The lanyard he wore with his Murkoff badge said MURKOFF I.T. SOFTWARE ENGINEER and obviously his name right above the big bold letters. 

Waylon Park. 

Ash couldn't help but stare at the man, who stared back before she felt a nudge to her side, tearing her eyes from the man. She looked at Eddie, who had noticed her stare. 

"Do you know him, Darling?" Eddie asked her quietly as they were ushered from the main lobby towards another hall way. 

Ash shook her head as she glanced back at the man, seeing him still watching as they were lead down the hall. "No. But there's something about him. He looks....different from everyone else." She murmuredback to him.

Eddie frowned but did turn to look back at the man, noting how he was still watching them going. His eyes found the man's and they locked on to each other's. He had to admit it, though. He didn't know what it was but very much like whennhe first saw Ash's eyes, he felt calm. He felt his focus just sharpen.

That man.....whoever he was, he was different and even Eddie saw it. 

"His eyes.....they're like yours." The Groom said before turning back to her, frowning as they continued down the hall. 

"Like.....you're focused? Like you're not.....crazy?" Ash asked in almost whisper and she bit her lip thoughtfully when he nodded. She didn't look back but she knew that at some point, she needed to see that man again. She needed to talk to him. 

Both Ash and Eddie were finally led to the chapel, where they heard the wedding music playing. They saw guards as they went, all looking anxious as they passed by. 

They did feel nervous as they walked, both of them. 

Ash knew something wasn't right. 

There was just something there that she couldn't see at all but she knew something was wrong with this andnit did cause her grip to tighten on Eddie's arm. She looked nervously up at him and saw that he too looked a little anxious. 

This was way too easy for them. 

They were just walking, surrounded by guards but just walking down the hall as if they were normal people. They knew they weren't normal. She might have been at one point but she knew since coming here, she was anything but normal now. 

So why was this too easy? 

Turning a corner to enter the chapel, Ash looked forward and felt her breath catch in her throat as they now looked down the aisle of the chapel that would lead to the center of a round room. 

It was the first time she had ever seen the chapel and it did look nice. It was like any chapel she would have imagined with religious murals on the walls and crosses hanging. 

There were pews full of patients that she didn't know, except for a few. All of the patients she knew sat in the pews. 

And that was the problem. 

Because Father Martin was sitting there too, looking quite uneasy as he turned to look back at Bride and Groom, with the Twins engulfing his sides. He wasn't suppose to be sitting down. He was supposed to be officiating this wedding. 

Instead of where he was supposed to be standing there was another priest, one she didn't know at all. 

An official one. 

Ash felt Eddie stiffen right with her and they both shared a look. They were both uneasy as they looked at one another, eyes a little wider than before. 

"Shit." Ash muttered under her breath. "That.....that mother fucking asshole. This is what he planned." 

"Damn it." Eddie growled himself as they shared a liok with her. "We're getting married for real." 

Ash's heart started pounding as she tightened her grip on his arm and felt a tremble rise up through her body. She was shaking now. She felt her breathing becoming unsteady. 

Blaire was setting them up, turning their plot against them. He had known what they had been doing. He had seen through it. And because the Walrider stood against him and Murkoff about her safety, he ensured that their plan would backfire on them. 

"We can turn back. Call it off." She heard Eddie murmured very low for her to hear. 

Ash slowly shook her head as she found herself trembling more and more. She was visibly shaking now. "N-no.....we can't. It's just like what you said that one time. Blaire's playing his game. He's trapping us. We thought this was an escape and he's trapping us." She whispered shakily. 

Her eyes moved across the faces and sure enough, there was Blaire sitting on one pew by himself. And he was smirking wickedly at her. 

Checkmate, his eyes read. 

If they turned back now, called it off, they wouldn't be married. Their lie would be revealed for all to see. She would not be The Bride. And it was more than likely the excuse that Blaire needed to take her from Eddie, to do whatever he wanted to her. 

And that made a trembling sob start to rise. 

"He's got us. We don't go through with this, he'll take me away and hurt me." Ash whimpered so low for Eddie to hear. 

Eddie growled and she didn't have to look up at him to know he was glaring murderously at Blaire. His grip on her tightened a little bit but not to hurt her. She felt his anger though. 

"One of these days...I'm going to kill him..." The Groom growled before looking down at her. "I know this wasn't how we planned. I know I am not the kind of husband you would like to have. A crazy killer but I do swear, I won't let him hurt you." He told her softly before raising his other hand and extending his pinky towards her. 

Ash froze for a moment as she looked at his pinky before she felt a trembling laugh bubble out as she looked right at him. She reached up and hooked her pinky with his. "Pinky promise." She said softly. 

Eddie nodded as he kept their pinkies linked. "Pinky promise. I will kill him if he tries to hurt you." He said softly before they let go of each other's pinkies. He lift his head up high and began leading her down the aisle. "Come, my Bride to be. Might as well get this over with. We cannot let him win."

Shakily, Ash walked with him down the aisle, past murmuring patients and she looked at Father Martin, who looked quite regretfully back at her and mouthed, "I'm so sorry" to her. 

She could only shakily nod to him, giving him the faintest of smiles, though it was entirely forced. She looked to the other side at Blaire as he smirked at her. She knew he was enjoying this. He knew he caught her in his web. 

If he couldn't touch her, hurt her, he would trap her with the person she was hiding behind. 

She saw Eddie glaring at Blaire as they walked right up to the priest, who waited with a forced smile of his own. He had no clue, she realized that this was a forced marriage. A lie. But he had no clue what was going on. 

But finally, they stood before the priest and she trembled as she stood next to Eddie, feeling now rubbing her hand soothingly. 

"We are gathered here today to witness a matrimony...." the priest began the ceremony. 

Mostly through the long speech the priest was saying, Ash blocked put most of it. She didn't care to hear any of his words about God and love. She didn't care to hear any of his sugar coated words but think about the turmoil she was now in. 

She was being forced to marry Eddie Gluskin. It was something that was brought upon her and Eddie because they had lied about it. They had lied about being in love so to keep her safe from Blaire. 

And that lie slapped her right in the face. Slapped them both in the face. 

She was now marrying a man she barely knew, who did swear to protect her even if he didn't know her either. She was being forced to marry him because of their lie. 

She glanced up at Eddie and noted he was pissed about this. He had such a hard look on his face as he stared at the priest, probably half listening to his words as well. He was probably thinking of how many ways he could kill Jeremy Blaire right now.

"Now we hear the vows." The priest spoke now turning towards Eddie, who remained practically dead to his words. "Do you Edward Gluskin lawfully take this woman to be your wife, to behold her and cherish her, to protect her and love her for as long as you both shall live?" 

For a moment, Eddie didn't say anything but glared forward. It was almost awkward as he just stood there in silence before finally he looked down at her, meeting her veiled eyes. 

It was then, he slowly softened a little as he looked into her teary eyes. 

"I do." He finally spoke softly and even his hand rubbed against hers to soothe her fears. 

"And do you, Ashton Peacock, lawfully take this man to be your husband, to behold him and cherish him, and love him for as long as you both shall live?" The priest said rather warmly. 

Ash exhaled rather shakily as she looked up at Eddie, the tears growing more and more in her eyes as she realized just how trapped she was. She knew there was no way out of this without turning to face pain and torture by Blaire. 

But......if it had to be anyone she trusted the most, which she didn't really trust anyone, she would have to say that she was glad it was Eddie. 

Because she did trust him. 

And while it was a little forced, she smiled and nodded her head. "I.....I do." She said, though shakily. 

The priest just smiled before looking to Eddie again. "Do you have the rings?" He asked him. 

Ash froze and so had Eddie. 

Oh, the rings. 

They had forgotten about the wedding rings. 

And it seemed to amuse Blaire because he laughed right out and shook his head, never minding that several looked at him. Ash and Eddie both shot him a glare. 

But with a sigh, Eddie used his free hand to reach into his vest, surprising Ash as she watched him now dig into it. She realized that he must had an inside pocket because he was reaching into one. 

And he pulled out two gold bands from the inside pocket, that caught her breath. 

He had rings with him. 

Eddie held out the bigger of the rings to her, which she took from him and held it in her palm. She looked at both of them. They were simple gold bands but they were wedding rings. 

They must have been his mother's and father's wedding bands then. He must have kept them, held onto them for his own wedding day. 

Eddie and Ash turned towards each other as he took her left hand and slid the smaller gold band on her ring finger and in turn, she did the same with the bigger one. 

"I pronounce you man and wife then. You may kiss the bride." The priest said smiling warmly. 

Slowly taking the veil, Eddie lift it up over Ash's head before taking her hands into his. He gave her a faint sympathic smile before leaning down towards her. 

She returned the sad smile but leaned right back and met his lips with a gentle touch. 

There was no spark as she would have imagined it would have been if it had been something she would have chosen but her lips did feel warm against his and in a way, she did feel warm. 

They pulled away after a brief second, now linking hands together. 

"Oh, come on, Eddie!" Blaire snickered from where he sat, clearly enjoying their misery. "Kiss her like you mean it." 

Eddie glared right at Blaire while Ash shivered as she did move only slightly closer to him, now clutching onto his arm. They didn't move but glared at the warden. 

"Want me to show you how?" Blaire added with a sneer, completely ignoring the uneasy look the priest was now giving him. "Kiss her for real. Or should I? Should I even show you how to consummate with her too?" 

Ash felt a whimper break out of her while Eddie just glared lasers at Blaire. She felt the terror growing in her again and it traveled through her body and right into his through their connected hands. 

Blaire sneered but his eyes grew darker, almost black as he glared right back at Eddie, his nasty smile never leaving his face. "Now." He demanded warningly. 

A growl raised out of Eddie but he turned towards Ash, looking right into her eyes. He mouthed his apology to her but he cupped her face with his hands and brought her back up into a hard and fierce kiss. 

There was the spark she had been expecting and it caused her to gasp against his lips. 

Ash gasped as she felt Eddie kiss her hard and she scrambled to try to push him back but found herself clutching to his vest instead as she found herself kissing him back. 

But nonetheless, she felt the spark between their lips as he did deepen the kiss, even if for Blaire's entertainment. His kiss softened against hers but he didn't pull away until she did. 

And she was out of breath when they did pull away. 

Blaire started it first as he cat called and whistled and applauded. He was followed by the guards, who were obviously just mocking the pair. 

None of the patients joined in though. 

Not even the ones who were usually terrified of Eddie. They all just looked up at Ash and Eddie with a look of sympathy. They all saw it, even the absolutely crazy ones. 

This was not a union of love. 

Ash linked her hand with Eddie's again as she shared a glance with him, seeing him grimace in apology again. She just squeezed his hand as a sign of forgiveness before she looked forward at all of the faces. 

Her eyes, however, stopped on one of the windows behind the pews. She looked right at that man, who was frowning with wide eyes. 

She saw understanding in Waylon Park's eyes as he had watched the whole thing. The horror in his eyes said it enough. He knew that this wasn't something she wanted to happen. He saw it and there was a look of helplessness as he looked back at her. 

He really wanted to help her and Eddie and she saw that and it did make a spark go off in her head. 

She needed to talk to that man. 

The reception that was granted for Ash and Eddie was held in the cafeteria, of all places. It was pretty pathetic actually and it did make her grimace as she remained at Eddie's side, who was too busy glaring murderously at Blaire, who was enjoying lewd jokes with guards. 

There were patients there, mostly lingering as they recieved lunch from behind the bar. Guards in the room, just laughing with each other and making jokes.

Ash was holding Eddie's hand but she did notice the patients she knew looking at them. 

Father Martin, Frank, the Twins. They were all watching her.

While the Twins looked mostly deadpanned as always, Ash did see a slight darkness in their eyes. She knew just looking at them that they were pretty pissed about this. They did not approve what Blaire did. 

And somehow, she had a feeling that Blaire was going to regret this later. 

"I'll get you something to drink, Darling." Eddie said his voice still rather hard as he stood up from the table they were seated at. He gave her a look to yell for him if Blaire or guards did try something and she nodded in understanding. 

Ash just sat there, in her wedding dress, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked around. She couldn't believe this had happened to her. She should have seen it coming but she still couldn't believe it. 

"You....don't look particularly happy for being a bride on her wedding day." 

Ash started and looked sharply up at who just spoke. She hadn't been expecting someone coming to say anything to her. 

Other than Blaire just to be a cynical prick he was. 

But it wasn't. 

It was Waylon Park.

Taken by surprise to even seen him there, in the patient cafeteria, Ash drew back only a little as he stood there. She just stared up at him as he looked almost awkward. 

"Um....." Waylon Park cleared his throat before motioning to a seat near her. "Ca-can I....uh, sit down?" 

Ash blinked up at him before nodding as she eyed him carefully. She watched as he sat down, staring right back at her. "Um....." she murmured. 

The man smiled now offering his hand but she leaned back a little in anxiety. He took it back immediately though and folded his hands together. "Waylon Park. I'm, uh, a Murkoff I.T specialist." He introduced himself. 

Ash just eyed him cautiously. She wasn't sure what to make of him just yet. He seemed kind enough and he did seem different from the other Murkoff employees. "Ashton Peaco......" she paused with a grimace. "Ashton Gluskin." 

Waylon Park frowned slightly but tilted his head. "You...don't seem happy that you just got married. Is...he mean to you?" He asked now looking across the room towards Eddie, who seemed to be getting harrassed by Frank now. It seemed light and Frank was laughing at him but he was scowling but not with complete rage. 

Ash looked at Eddie in surprise before shaking her head. "Oh, no! No, no. Eddie....he's not mean to me at all. He's actually quite kind to me. Under the circumstances." She said now abashed. 

"That's....Eddie Gluskin though." Waylon Park said slowly. 

Ash frowned at him now as she felt slightly defensive for Eddie now. "Yeah, so? Heard of him, have you?" She asked and did add a slight warning in her tone. 

Park just cracked a faint smile but nodded. "He's a pretty well known Serial Killer. There's not a whole lot of people who don't know who he is." He said slowly. 

Ash frowned but sighed as she found herself raising her guard. "Don't believe everything you've heard about him. It's not all true." She said in a forced way. "He.....he kills because if he doesn't, someone......"

"They'll kill him." Park interrupted her and recieved a surprised look from her. "I've....seen and heard things that happens around here. I've only been working here for a few weeks now and I.....well, I can't say I like it very much of what I have seen." 

Ash now felt that spark in her head that she always felt when she sensed a story. She now looked right at him, leaning closer. "You.....don't?" She asked in surprise. 

Park just shook his head as he looked at her. "I'm...well, let's say I've been down....in the labs. I work.....on the Engine's software and I've seen what they've done to patients. Some of the most messed up shit I've ever seen. I....also didn't know there were female patients. I've only see guys here." He said now frowning. 

Ash pursed her lips together but wrapped her arms around herself tightly again. "I'm....the only female patient here." She said in a low voice. 

Park frowned before tilting his head as he looked her right in the eyes. "No, you're not." He said in a low voice and again received a surprised look. "I've looked up your file. You're not officially in the system and by track records, I can figure that out. You're not supposed to be here. Female patients were transferred out of Mount Massive years ago because of Gluskin and because of false pregnancies kept popping up when they were near the Morphogenetic Engine. It was killing them. You're here.....but you're not suppose to be. I can put two and two together. You've been forced to be here. And you're not insane. You're not a patient." He said in a low voice. 

Ash felt that spark again as she eyed him but she did have her full attention on him. "Okay, Sherlock. Why am I here if I'm not a patient?" She asked now testing him. 

"Like I've said, I've heard things. I know you're here because of Jeremy Blaire. He's holding you here. And you just married one of the most dangerous killers known." Park said in a low voice. "So....you tell me." 

Pursing her lips tightly, Ash looked around to see where all of the guards were and they were still joking around. Even Blaire wasn't even looking at her. 

But Eddie was looking at her and frowning right at Park. 

She immediately held up a hand, shaking her head at him. She even held up a finger as if asking him to give her a moment with this man. She saw him slowly nod but kept watching carefully as she turned back to Park, who was uneasily looking back at Eddie. 

He had noticed. 

"I can't tell you everything. It'll take too long. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to get caught talking to me. Blaire....you'll get into trouble with him." Ash said in a low voice. "I'm a a journalist and I came snooping. So yeah. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm trapped. Eddie, over there, knows that. He's actually protecting me. From Blaire. It's why we got married." 

"Okay." Park said slowly but was looking towards Blaire, watching carefully. 

"The wedding, it wasn't suppose to be real. So yeah. Eddie and I are pretty mad about it. It wasn't supposed to be a real thing but Blaire made it real." Ash continued in a low voice. "So if you can figure out a way to get us both out of this fucking place, and take down your company, please do it. Otherwise you're wasting your time talking to me." 

Park slowly nodded as he took it in before he finally stood up and looked down at her. "I'll see what I can do." He said in a low voice before he turned to leave. He paused and looked back. "Um....Gluskin, he....uh, do you like him at least?" 

Ash blinked in surprise before she glanced towards Eddie, meeting his eyes as he watched them with a deep frown. "A little bit." She said now smiling faintly. "He's a good guy, despite what's said about him. You married?" She asked now looking back at Park. 

Smiling, Park raised his left hand to show her a silver band. "Five years this December. Her name is Lisa. We have twin boys together. I just hope I can get the fuck out of here to actually celebrate it with them." He said sounding fond. 

Ash just smiled at him before tapping a finger against the table. "If you can, contact a friend of mine. His name is Miles. Miles Upshur. He knows my brother. He's a journalist too." She said quietly. 

Park just nodded as he turned again. "Ok. Just....be careful, okay?" He told her before he turned and left her sitting there. 

For a moment, Ash sat there, watching him go before looking up at Eddie as he walked back over. 

"Are you all right?" Eddie asked eyeing Park as he left the room. 

Ash just nodded before reaching for his hand, which he gave as he sat back down with her. "Yeah. He's...different, Eddie. I think...he can help us." She said quietly. 

Eddie frowned but slowly nodded as he looked at her. "I hope you're right. Unfortunately, Blaire is calling for us to return to our space. He thinks we celebrated enough." He said regretfully. 

"Good. I'm tired of this shit." Ash said with a grumble as she sighed. 

Eddie stood up and helped her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Well, Mrs Gluskin, let's go home then." He muttered just as tired as she was. 

And they went towards the doors, where guards were waiting for them.


	17. Blaire is a Prick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning:  
> Strong sexual content

It was enough to say that Jeremy Blaire was a complete sadistic asshole, who obviously got off on torturing people. 

Especially with what he pulled on Ash and Eddie when they were lead down to their space. 

It had the both now married couple very on edge as the guards lead them back down to the basketball court with Blaire following them. They hadn't known what he was doing by going with them but the nasty smile on his face never left. 

Ash was pressed tightly against Eddie's side as she clutched onto him and his grip on her was vice as he glared over his shoulder at Blaire. She was too terrified to even look back at him. 

But they were lead "home" and before they could even enter, they found their selves blocked off by guards, making them halt.

Ash's heart was now pounding hard in her chest as she clutched tighter onto Eddie, who wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to his chest as he growled dangerously at the guards as they surrounded them. 

"Well, now. The honeymoon suit." Blaire said darkly smirking, making them both turn to glare at him. "Such a romantic place for the both of you. Mr and Mrs Gluskin." 

"Do not touch her." Eddie growled like a predator about to pounce. 

Blaire just smirked before his eyes flicked to behind the two. 

Eddie stiffened as he tightened his arms around Ash and tried to turn with a snarl without letting her go but he suddenly cried out when something sharp stabbed into his side. 

Ash gasped as she was suddenly released, stumbling a little as Eddie turned to swing at the guard who stabbed his side with a needle. She looked wildly at them before crying out in fear as she was seized by the arm. 

"No!" Eddie snarled turning around to charge but was quickly grabbed by eight guards, being held back. He swing at them, nailing one in the face with his fist only to have that guard be replaced with another. 

Ash, on the other hand, cried out in fear as she was yanked towards Blaire by the guard who had grabbed her and thrown against the wall, making her cry out in pain. 

The guard pinned her arms above her head while another ducked low and pinned her legs against the wall, making it impossible to kick out at them. 

"Oh, relax, will you?" Blaire sneered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange looking device. "We're not going to do anything to you. Not what you're thinking anyway." 

Ash had tears in her eyes and she saw Eddie trying to fight the guards off of himself. She saw him thrashing hard and trying to attack the guards to get to her. 

Blaire just smirked as he stepped right up to her and pressed the device against her right bicep, pressing a button. 

There was an electric jolt and Ash yelped as she found herself yelping in pain as she felt it shoot into her arm as if she had touched an electric fence. "Wh-what....are you doing?" She asked in terror. 

"You've noticed it, didn't you?" Blaire sneered as he slid the device away again and he looked right at her. "Where's The Walrider? Why isn't it stopping us? Well, if you must know, we have Billy Hope on constant sedatives right now that even he is so deep asleep that it is affecting the Walrider, which we have locked up in a special containment unit made just for the swarm. It's not coming to save you this time." He said grinning nastily. 

A whimper escaped Ash as she looked at him with terror. 

"But don't worry. I'm not going to fuck you this time. Nor is any of the guards." Blaire added before his eyes grew very dark as he looked at her. "Your husband is." 

Ash froze in horror. 

"You see, Eddie," Blaire spoke up now turning towards the snarling patient as he thrashed against the guards holding tightly to him. "You just got a special injection while you were distracted with holding your Darling wife. What we just injected into you is a very strong aphrodisiac cocktail. You're going to fuck her hard sooner or later. Because if you don't get it out of your system, it's just going to get a little painful for you." He told him before looking at Ash. "As for you, we looked up your medical records and found that you've had a birth control transplant injection. Well, guess what? I just deactivated it."

Ash whimpered in absolute terror as she looked at him, only to yelp as the guards yanked her from the eall and started dragging her towards the entrance of her and Eddie's space. 

"You wanted to play Bride and Groom, husband and wife, you got it." Blaire said darkly as he watched his men open their cell door and shove her in first, where she tripped and fell hard with a cry of pain. 

And then Eddie was shoved inside, where the door slammed and was locked. 

"Fuck her good, Gluskin. Who knows? Maybe you're going to be that father you wanted to be." Blaire added nastily before laughing as he and his guards left.

Ash sat on the ground for a moment, trembling with tears trailing down her face before she looked at Eddie as he snarled and began kicking at the chain linked fence in anger. She slowly stood up and moved towards him but halted when he jerked back. 

"Don't!" Eddie said roughly before groaning as he held his middle, bending over. He was starting to break out into a sweat and she saw it. "He was not joking when he said this was strong. It's working fast."

Ash swallowed hard as she stepped back. She wanted to help him but not that kind of help. She didn't know what to do. "Are you.....okay?" She asked uneasily. 

Eddie just groaned as he remained bent over, clutching his sides. He shook his head though. "Not really, Darling. But there's nothing you can do unless you're willing to....no. I cannot do that to you." He looked painfully at her. "Darling, stay far away from me as you can tonight. Until it wears off. No matter what you hear me saying or doing, stay away. Hide from me. No matter what. If you come near me, I might not be able to stop myself." He warned her. 

Ash trembled but did start backing away from him. She was hyperventilating and her heart pounded. She did look down and did see that a bump was starting to rise in his trousers. 

It scared the living hell out of her.

But nonetheless, she turned, picking up her skirt and bolted away from him, leaving him there. She had to find somewhere to hide. She knew if he lost control because of his urges, she would probably be hurt in the process. 

Running down the halls and even down the stairs, Ash went straight to the room where she had been sleeping and curled up on in the corner, now wrapping her blanket around herself. 

There she stayed for a very long time, trembling with fear as she waited for it to all be over. 

It was hours of torture for her, even if it wasn't being done to herself. She had drifted off a little while laying on the mattress but had woken when she heard distant swearing.

Eddie was screaming profanities of the worst sort from somewhere and he did sound extremely angry and frustrated. 

Ash just laid there, listening hard. She could hear him groaning from somewhere and it was rhythmic so her face burned a little when she realized what he was doing. 

She didn't want to think about it but couldn't help but imagine Eddie fisting himself, jerking off hard to get that fucking cocktail out of his system. 

Her face burned as the image was in her head and she groaned herself as they kept replaying in her head to the sounds he was making. She could just see him, propped against a wall or having found a chair to sit in as he wrapped his hand around his cock and started pumping hard. 

However strange and wrong as it was, it did build up a heat in her belly that started to crawl up and it made her groan as she found her own hand now trailing down her side until she was cupping herself. 

She yanked her hand back when she realized what she had been doing and felt her face grow hotter. 

She heard Eddie swear in rage and something crash, making her flinch and look towards the door way. She grimaced as she heard him throwing things in his anger before he was groaning again. 

It was painful to even listen to. 

Eddie sounded so frustrated and angry as he was trying his best to get rid of his problem and it made her heart weep for him. 

But nonetheless, she still felt hot and she ended up tossing the blanket off as she just laid there, hands folded on her stomach as she just listened to him in the distance. 

And once again, her hand trailed downward until it rested on her own inner thigh where she began rubbing. 

Her breath picked up as she felt a zing of pleasure as she began rubbing herself. She couldn't help herself now as she dug her fingers in between her legs and continued to rub. She whimpered softly as she felt the pleasure she was getting from it.

Eventually she pulled the skirts up so she had better access to herself, her fingers now sinking into herself and rubbing slowly. 

Her breathing unsteady, Ash moaned softly as she rubbed harder at herself, now wishing for something bigger and thicker.

She imagined someone covering her and a larger hand now touching her, rubbing her and even sinking into her. She imagined strong arms, wrapping around her waist, pulling her flush body against his own. And she imagined herself on her back as he filled her, his cool blue eyes looking into hers as he.... .

She gasped softly as she stopped immediately as she realized just what she had been doing. She felt flushed and out of breath as she blinked out of her thoughts.

She had been imagining Eddie on top of her, holding her as he took her. She was turned on by the noises he was making but still, it was Eddie.

She realized that she wanted him, bad right now. 

Ash shook her head as she pulled out her fingers and sat up, grimacing. She still felt very hot and wasn't satisfied with it at all. 

But....it was Eddie. 

Did she seriously want him? Or was it just a heat of the moment, the arousing sounds he was making? 

Wrapping her arms around herself, Ash tried to think about it, though it was hard because she still could hear him. She tried to think of what exactly she felt for him. 

He scared her, there was no doubt about that but at the same time, she felt safe around him. She felt like she did need to stay by his side. But couldn't that be because she was in danger in this place? 

He kept her safe and he was kind to her. 

He was crazy, though. 

Not around her, however. 

Sighing, Ash pursed her lips as she thought about him. She tried to think of what good would come out of actually being with him. 

It was true, this new marriage was supposento be false. Butnit wasn't anymore. Whether she liked it or not, she was his wife now. She might have been forced to marry him but.....did she actually want to be with him?

The thought made her soften a little as she thought back to what he had done for her. He was kind to her. He did take care of her and protect her. He would kill someone who tried to hurt her. He was very good at sewing. She was wearing the dress he made still and it was beautiful. 

He wanted to be a family man, have children and take care of them and his wife. 

That thought made her stop. 

His wife.......she was his wife now. 

He wanted to protect her, keep her safe. He wanted her to leave this place without being hurt again. He risked his life for her. He did kill the guards who tried to hurt her. 

And truth be told, he really was handsome. 

Eddie Gluskin was a very handsome man, actually. He might have been unstable but he seemed....to be getting better with her. He didn't seem batshit crazy like he was when they first met. 

He was calm. 

He allowed her to elbow him in his side when he teased her. A crazy killer would never allow someone to do that. 

True he had some bad qualities for a husband but the good qualities overruled the bad. Especially when it came to her.

She found herself smiling softly as she thought about his arms around her and her cheek pressed against his chest. She would feel safe and warm with him. She felt secured. 

And to think of him, naked and on top of her, sinking into her made her eyes flutter and her heart pound. 

Oh, yeah. 

Ash could see herself falling for him. She could already see that she was falling for him. She couldn't think of a single other person to do that with her. And it made her warmer than before and a pleasure filled her at the mere thought. 

She realized it then. 

She was falling in love with him. 

And that's what made her decide to stand up and start leaving the room. 

There was no turning back now. She couldn't turn back. Her body was too hot at the thought of Eddie wrapping himself around her. She felt so aroused, she needed relief now. 

Following the sounds of frustration, Ash walked on, her heart fluttering madly as she touched her inner thigh again. She followed his groans to one of the sewing rooms, where she found him in a chair. 

Eddie was seated in a chair, his shirt off and coated in sweat while a hand was rapidly pumping in his lap. His back was turned to her as he groaned as kept pumping his cock, the frustration still in his voice. 

Ash stood there silently, watching him and growing hotter by the second. She slowly reached up behindnher own back and found one of the straps, lightly pulling at it until it loosened. 

She had to really reach behind her back to get the other two but once they were pulled loose, she lightly tugged the dress loose before slowly making her way towards him. 

It was until she was right behind him did he stiffen and then turned with a jerk to look at her with alarm. 

Ash just stood there for a moment, staring right back and quite flushed. She looked down at his lap and her face grew hotter when she realized just how big he was. 

His cock was long and thick and it made her exhale shakily as she felt her arousal shoot up. 

"Wha-what are you doing?! I thought I told you to.....!" Eddie demanded uneasily. 

Ash moved closer and pressed her fingers to his lips to shush him before she smiled faintly at him and then bent over him, moving closer until she pressed her lips against his. 

She felt him stiffen but didn't pull away. 

She looked back at him as he looked at her with wide eyes. She kissed him softly before licking his lips, making him start but opened his mouth where she deepened the kiss. 

His hands slowly now reached up and cupped her waist as she moved right in front of him and straddled one of his legs as she sat down, moving closer until she was almost pressed right against him. 

Eddie pulled away first, looking at her as if bewildered. He was searching her eyes, confused but there was arousal in his eyes as his hands locked around her waist. 

"You don't want to do this, Darling. I'm not.....I'm not stable." He said rather breathlessly. 

Ash leaned in until her cheek was pressed against his and she nuzzled him gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She slowly began rocking her hips against his, making his breath hitch. 

"If I didn't want this, I wouldn't have come to you." She whispered as she moved to his ear and took his lobe into her mouth, sucking softly. 

Again, Eddie's breath hitched as he suddenly pulled her hard against his own body and he was directing her hips to move closer to his arousal. "Da-Darling, are you absolutely sure? I can't stop myself it we start this." He practically whimpered. 

Ash lightly bit his ear, making him groan before she ran one hand down his bare chest and then down to his hardened legnth. She heard him hiss softly as she wrapped her hand around him and began pumping his thick shaft. 

"Just make love to me already, Eddie. I'm your wife. It's our wedding night. Again, if I didn't want this, I wouldn't be here." She whispered now pumping him slowly. 

Eddie growled as his grip tightened around her waist before he suddenly snapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against himself. He stood up, forcing her to stand before backing her up until her back collided with the wall. 

Barely even moving away, he grabbed her skirt, pulling quickly up above her waist, bundling it until he grabbed her by the bare ass and lifting her up. 

Ash immediately wrapped her legs around his hips as he held her up. And he lifted he up more, before reaching down, wrapping his hand around hers, now guiding him to her hot, wet entrance. 

Lowering her, he slid right in, groaning as he went and she gasped, her head tossing back against the wall. He sunk in deep, making him groan with a strangled noise in the back of his throat and his eyes practically crossed as he felt her hot wetness engulf him. 

Ash whimpered as she felt his length stretch her wide, her eyes tightly closing. It stung a little bit, due to he was probably the thickest and longest one she had ever taken in. 

But her eyes snapped wide open when he began rocking into her, slowly pulling her waist back and forth as he began. 

"Oh!" Ash whimpered as she now wrapped her hands behind head and pulled him into a hot, fierce kiss. They mouths collided as he kissed her back, both fighting for dominance as he pulled out and sank back into her. 

Groaning, Eddie kissed her fiercely as he rocked his hips back and forth, rocking her right with his rhythm. He did close his eyes tightly as he felt her inner walls just suck him in. 

Whimpering into his mouth, Ash tightened her legs around him, rocking her lower half even if he was directing her. 

But he moved again, pulling her away from the wall, arms tight around her as he took her to one of the empty tables and setting her bare bum on it and lowering her back until she was laying down on it. He shifted his arms under her knees and pulled them up and stretched them wide before he began thrusting harder into her, making her cry out. He hit angles that just made a strangled noise erupt from his mouth as he bent over her and kissed her again. 

Her cunt so hot and yet so sweet, sucking and pulling at him as he thrusted into her. 

"Oh, god." Ash whimpered as she leaned her head back, her eye screwed shut. "Oh, oh. Eddie, Eddie....." she whimpered. 

His thrust began picking up harder and sharper as he sank in deep, his hands now resting beside her waist, scrambling for her waist and holding her tightly.

The table was now rocking hard with their thrashing bodies but their groans joined together almost like a song as he hit nerves inside of her. 

Eddie lift his hands and grabbed at the straps of her dress, pulling at them until she helped him slide them off to reveal her bare chest. His teeth tightenly as he just watched her breast began bouncing as he thrusted into her. He took one hand and touch her, massaging her right breast that she whimpered and even cried out as he pinched her gently. 

Her inner walls of wet hotness began tightening, making him groan very long and loud as he tossed his head back and his thrusting became almost an jackhammer as he slapped his balls against her inner thigh. 

Ash gripped tightly onto his strong arms, even as he was pinching her nipples between his fingers. She felt hot ecstasy just burn through her as she practically sobbed in sheer pleasure. 

And finally, a white hot jolt ran through her, making her scream in pleasure and he yelled out as his hips snapped to halt right into her as he felt his load spray into her. 

Panting, Eddie bent over her until his sweaty forhead was curled into her neck and he laid across her, his knees buckling a little. 

Ash gasped and heaved for breath as she felt her high coming down ad he did the same. They were both out of breath but there was only a small satisfaction they felt. 

Problem was, he was still hard and she felt it. 

Slowly rubbing his length in and out as he shifted, Eddie looked down at her, propping himself up on his elbows above her. "What.....brought....that....on?" He panted between words.

Ash just shook her head as she reached up and cupped the side of his face. "One, I couldn't bear you hurting any more. Two, I'm your wife now. And three, I realized that I can fall in love with you." She said just as breathlessly. 

A crooked smile formed on his face as he looked down at her. "You saying you love me?" He asked almost amused. 

"Starting to." Ash said smiling back. "I know you might not love me, but maybe....."

He shook his head as he looked down at her. "No. I do. I already do. I fell in love with you the moment I heard you singing your song." Eddie told her before starting to rock into her again, making her moan softly. "Do you realize we might end up conceiving a child tonight, don't you?" 

Ash just sighed as she felt him picking up his pace again. "If we do, this is no place for a child, Eddie. We have to get out of here." She moaned as she felt him now thrusting into her. 

Eddie just nodded as his eyes grew heavy from pleasure as he began again. "I will do my damndest to getting all of us out. We'll think of something. Even if it means killing that son of a bitch, Blaire." He growled as he thrust into her. 

Ash started laughing making him pause again. "Oh, my god. His plan backfired. Our plan backfired from his plan and his backfired right back without us even meaning to." She said as she smiled up at him. 

Eddie just smiled at her as he began again. "His stupidity brought us together. Worst mistake he ever made besides touching you." He groaned. 

And they continued their love making throughout the rest of the night.


	18. Death Sonata

"What about this one?" Ash asked as she showed her husband what she painted on the wall.

Eddie looked at what she had written on the wall and laughed when he saw what she had said. He was highly amused by her quote. 

If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody happy

"Heh, that's too true." Eddie said laughing as he wrapped his arm around Ash. 

It was a week later since they've been married and their plan continued on, with the new adjustments. They had no intention of straying from their plan after they had a little bedside talk. 

While Ash and Eddie did find their selves still trapped in their space, they had talked how they were going to keep her safe from Blaire and the Murkoff guards. They knew that once Blaire realized his plan to torture Ash had failed and developed into something a whole lot more, he was going to be pissed. 

Blaire had intended for Ash to be completely terrified by spiking Eddie with the aphrodisiac and had wanted her to be raped over and over again by the Groom, just to terrorize her. 

But he hadn't counted on them actually developing feelings for one another. 

But nonetheless, when he found out that they actually fell in love, there was going to be hell to pay. He would probably try and take her again and hurt her. 

Therefore, their plan to make Ash look completely crazy continued. 

Ash and Eddie both decided to make her look like she was still going crazy as the Groom's Bride. They made up plans of how they were going to put the fear of God into the Murkoff Executive and his men.

So, they began redecorating their space. They began setting up insane looking things around the whole space fornif anyone came there, they would be terrified of what they saw. 

Ash had come up with the idea of putting unusal messages on the walls in red paint that they had foundlying around. She had shared her idea with Eddie andnhe just grinned. 

They painted certain quotes that would make them look obsessed with the idea of having a home and a family. 

Love Makes a House Home

There's No Place Like Home. 

A Woman's Work Is Never Done

And of course, her message just to be funny, If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy. 

They even set up a wedding alter in one room, to recreate a wedding taking place. They had taken her lovely wedding dress and placed it on a mannequin to stand at the alter with rows of chairs as the guests. 

The purpose of it was to make it look like Eddie was still crazy about finding a bride. And if anyone was brought down or came wandering, they would see all of these crazy things, it would terrify them before they would be ruthlessly killed by The Groom and The Bride. 

Ash knew she wasn't like herself anymore. She wasn't the same innocent woman she had come here as. She knew she had changed. She had to admit it. 

But she didn't care for not killing people who threatened her or Eddie any more. And she had every intention of protecting him as he protected her. 

She was a little bit harsher than she used to be but it was for her and Eddie's protection. She would help Eddie kill anyone who came to their space with the intention to harming them. 

They were a married couple now and they had every intention of keeping each other safe.

Even if it meant she was going just a little crazy. 

Ash and Eddie found theirselves closer than ever to the pount that they knew that they loved each other. It was not hard to be loving with each other. They made love quite a bit each night and were happy with each other. 

They even spent time talking, getting to know each other better. 

Ash, eventually, told Eddie exactly old she was and he had seemed surprised. He hadn't really guessed she was in her 30's. He had guessed she had to be at least 28 or something. 

But no. 

She was eleven or twelve years younger than him and heven admitted to her that he was 47 years old. It made no difference to them though. 

There was one thing she had admitted to him as they had laid naked next to each other one after a bout of love making. 

She admitted that Ashton was not her birth name. She even told him the entire story of how she escaped from her mother and how Kyle came to be her and Simon's adopted father. 

"What was your birth name? Before you legally changed it?" Eddie asked after she told him as he trailed his fingers across some of her angry looking scars onnher back. 

Ash was quiet for a moment as she laid on her stomach, feeling content with him trailing his fingers across her bare back. She finally turned slightly to look at him. "Kodee. My mother named me Kodee." She told him. 

Eddie frowned now tilting his head. "Isn't that a male name?" He asked curiously. 

Ash shook her head. "It's a unisex name. Could be a girl's or boy's name. It was like that for all of us, actually. Well, me, Julien and my dad, whose name was Ashton. We all had unisex names. It was kind of a running joke in our family." She said smiling fondly at the memory. "My name was Kodee, spelled differently from a boy's name. I changed my name because it was what she named me. Simon changed his because he didn't like the memories that came with our names. When Kyle took us in, we legally changed our names." She explained. 

"Kodee.....it's a nice name. But I do prefer Ashton." Eddie smiled as he shifted to laying beside her. He shared a smile with her as they curled up with one another. 

Ash frowned slightly however as she laid there, thinking. "We got to get down to the lab." She suddenly blurted and felt Eddie stiffen beside her. She looked at him. "I know hownit sounds. But we got to get down there. Blaire said they have Billy on constant sedatives now. So he can't wake up. And The Walrider....they have it locked up. So that means we're not as protected as we want to be. We got to free it." 

"That's very dangerous talk, Darling." Eddie said now frowning at her. 

Ash just shook her head as she looked at him. "So is living here. Murkoff is hurting us, Eddie. The Walrider won't hurt us but Blaire will. And I'm betting you anything that it's probably pissed off for being locked up. We free it, it just might start killing all of the Murkoff employees and we'll finally be free. My brother will come for us if the Asylum falls. He doesn't know I'maway from Blaire. If we could find a way to tell him that Blaire doesn'thave me in his reach, he will come." She told him.

"He's not fond of me, remember? I do not think henwill be happy when he finds out we have married." Eddie said with a grimace. 

Ash just smiled before reaching over and pecking a kiss on his nose. "You just let me handle him. He won't hurt you if I ask him not to." She said softly. 

"I'm not reassured but if it comes down to it, I'll do what I must. Even if it does mean allowing him to at least punch me one." Eddie grumbled but there was a smile on his face. 

"He won't......no, he probably would. But don't worry. I'll protect you from him." Ash said in amusement. 

Eddie wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his body but paused to set his hand on her stomach. He rubbed at it gently. "Do you feel anything yet? Do you think we might have conceived a child yet?" He asked quietly.

Ash was quiet for a good moment as she placed a hand over his. She tried looking deep within herself, trying to feel something but she shook her head. "I haven't really felt anything change. So I don't think so. But it's still really early to tell." She said to him. 

Eddie grinned devilishly as he turned her over onto her back. "Want to try again?" He asked slyly. 

Ash laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close as she shifted to be beneath him. "Eddie...." she scowled playfully. 

Grinning, Eddie shifted on top of he now reaching down between them to wrap around himself to guide himself into her. 

But just as he was about to enter her, he froze. 

Ash froze. 

They heard a clang from somewhere deep within their space. The gates had opened and it sounded like there was someone coming. 

Scrambling to get off of her, Eddie was immediately grabbing his clothes and even tossed her her dress. "Get dressed! Quickly now! Hide somewhere while I deal with whoever it is!" He said in a rush. 

Ash quickly grabbed the dress and yanked it over her head as she stood up. She shared a look with him as he pulled out a knife from under the mattress and held it tightly. "Be carefu, luv." She told him as she quickly kissed him before running to find somewhere to hide.

She quickly ducked into a space between a locker and downed shelf, curling into a corner where a torn vent was and sat there with her heart pounding.

It was intense for a good long moment before she began hearing shouting down the halls. 

Ash flinched when she heard Eddie now screaming profanities and it sounded like he was fighting with someone and then it went quiet. 

Shaking a little, she just listened and watched before sinking lower to the floor when she saw guards coming. 

Murkoff Guards. 

"Where is that fucking bitch hiding?" One guard growled as they began searching. "You think Gluskin killed her yet?"

The other shook his head as he began looking under tables and shining a light into shadows. "No, she's around here somewhere. Blaire had surveillance cameras set up and he's been watching them this entire week. They've been fucking each other but not like how Blaire wanted. Gluskin has no intention of hurting her. They act like they love each other. That's why he's ordered them to be separated." He said as he looked.

"Ah, so that's why he's going into the morphogenetic engine? What about her?" The second guard asked. 

"Her too. Blaire wants to fuck her up. She's to go watch the reels and then she's getting stuffed into the engine. They want to see if she'll survive the program. Gluskin's got a death sentence though. His tests keep failing so they're going to fuck up his mind so bad that he can't survive it. If he does survive, they'll kill him anyway." The first guard said as he opened a locker to look in it.

Ash felt her breath just catch in her chest as she listened to them, her heart skipping beats. They were going to kill Eddie because he didn't go crazy and hurt her. 

She had to stop that from happening. She had to find some way to get to Eddie and save him. She had to destroy Murkoff tonight. 

But how.....?

Glancing around, she looked right at the vent, frowning before she started to crawl into it. She had to escape this place. She knew the vents connected so she had to find a way down to the labs. 

It was more than likely they had Eddie and taking him down there. 

Ash had to get down there and stop this whole thing from happening. She crawled into the vent, having to crawl on her belly and pull herself along. It wasn't that big and a tight fit for even her but she could at least pull herself along. 

Crawling into the shaft, she finally came to a bigger shaft and and started goingnon her hands and knees. Her dress was getting dirty but that was the least of her worries. 

She kept going until she was able to peer out of the vents to see where she was and to her relief, it was outside her and Eddie's space. She was starting to recognize where she was and she kept going until she found the vent she knew. 

The shaft that she had escaped from the underground lab. 

Frowning with determination, Ash began crawling down the shaft, going on on until she saw the trap door she remembered. She went to it and peered out. 

It was dark but not dark enough. 

The lab was lit up to some extent so if she crawled out and go down the ladder, she would be seen. She couldn't go out this way. She had to think of something else. 

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU.....YOU JACK BOOTED FUCKS!" 

Ash gasped softly as he heard Eddie's voice now bellowing. She peered out and down the hall. She could barely see what was goingnon but she could see him. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Eddie being dragged by several guards towards the spheres.

"N-no......" she whimpered before beginning to climb down. She didn't know what she could do but she had to do something. She had to help him. 

Thankfully, no eyes were directed to her at all. There wasn't anyone to watch her as all eyes were on Eddie as he screamed and hollared and tried to break loose. 

She made it to the bottom before rushing down the hall, pressing herself near the containment cells before ducking down behind a box to look into the main lab. 

Eddie had broken free and was running up somenstairs where he slammed his fists against the windows. Her eyes went wide when she saw who he was looking at. 

"YOU! I KNOW YOU!! I KNOW YOU CAN STOP THIS! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!!" Eddie yelled before he was seized by guards. 

But Ash saw Waylon Park looking terrified behind the glass where he was backing away from the computer he had been sitting at. 

Helpless, Ash couldn't move. She just watched as Eddie was dragged back the sphere where he was having tubes shoved down his throat as he was restrained and being placed in the sphere. She couldn't do anything but watch with tears in her eyes as she covered her mouth.

She was too late to stop it. 

She didn't know what she could do without getting caught. If she got caught, there was no helping Eddie. She didn't know what to do.

A thought hit her. 

The Walrider. 

Ash knew she needed the Walrider. She knew it had to be somewhere around here but she couldn't just go wandering around. She would get lost and she could get caught. 

She peered back out into the main lab at Eddie, whonwas now unconscious and next to his sphere, she drew in a breath. 

She saw Billy Hope. 

He was there. 

But where was the Walrider?

It couldn't be too far away. It had to be close to Billy. It couldn't be far without deactivating, right? It needed Billy to live, right? 

Ash bite her lip and tried to think as shenlooked around thenlab before looking at the cells. She frowned as she looked at them. They all looked so similar but......the last one. 

Frowning, Ash crept towards the last cell. It had a thicker door and electronic locks that seemed so complicated. She glanced at the other cells and saw they were too different from this one. 

So carefully, she stood up and peered into thenroom and her eyes widened at what she saw. 

That was not the Walrider. 

There was a huge man inside the room. It was dark and she could barely see him but she saw his outline. She saw a massive body and not just that he was fat. The man was made of sheer muscle and he must have been almost 7 feet tall, not quite but almost. 

And he was terribly disfigured. 

His face was horribly scarred and it showed the muscle around his entire face. It was like his skin had been peeled off. Even the skin around his mouth was peeled and his jaw was revealing the thick teeth he had. He didn't even have a nose. It looked like his nose had been completely cut off. He also was chained heavily to the wall with very thick chains. 

Just by looking at him, Ash knew this man had to be extremely dangerous. Otherwise why would he have such thick chains on his massive arms and legs?

Glancing at the door, she did see a name on a datapad. She frowned when she read Chris Walker. She remembered that name. Billy had said it to her. Blaire had said it the night she had been caught and forced to be a patient. She had heard murmurs of fear of that name. 

Chris Walker.....he was well feared by patients and Murkoff employees. 

Ash frowned as she looked at the lock again, noting how difficult it looked. But her eyes brightened when she noticed smudges of something on the buttons. It was a number code but someone who ate something had left grease on the four buttons. 

Her choices were 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

There was no way it could be that simple. A four digit code, right? 

Was someone seriously dumb enough to just have a four digit code for someone as dangerous as Chris Walker? 

Biting her lip, Ash reached up with a finger and hovered over the numbers. She didn't have a lot of options. 

So she pressed the numbers in order. 1, 2, 3, 4.

As expected, there was a red light that flashed at her. She pouted as she tried it backwards. Red light flashed and there was a click almost like a warning. She knew if she put it in wrong again, there was more than likely an alarm that would set off.

"2. 3. 4. 1." Someone growled very deeply. It was muffled but loud enough for her to hear.

Ash flinched and looked through the window of the door and sure enough, Chris Walker was looking right at her with almost glowing white eyes. She felt her breath catch in her chest as she looked right at him. 

"2. 3. 4. 1." He growled deeply again, making her shudder. 

But nonetheless, she turned her attention onto the number pad and she punched in the numbers he spoke. 

The light flashed green and the lock clicked for the door to open. 

Now feeling a tremble strike through her, Ash pulled the door open and stepped into the monster's cell, who rattled the chains as he climbed heavily to his feet. 

Her heart pounding, Ash looked up at this man. She was terrified because he could snap her in two with his fingers. He was massive and she was an ant compared to him. 

Her breath unsteady, she looked up at him as he looked back at her, tilting his head as he looked curious. 

"Little pig.....little pig......pretty little pig....." The giant growled as he looked her over. 

Shaking, Ash faced him, her eyes looking right up at him as she swallowed hard. "If....If I free you, will you kill me?" She asked with a trembling voice. 

It was to her dismay that he nodded.

Starting to back away from him, she flinched when he gave a savage growl that halted her. He just glared down at her as he rattled his chains a little bit. "Give you a head start. 30 minutes and then I'll come kill you. Free me. And I'll kill them all." He added very viciously. 

Ash stopped to think for a good long moment. She figured it was something. This man was dangerous and it would probably be impossible to stop him from killing anyone without an elephant gun. 

"I guess.....that's something. You're talking about Murkoff, right?" She adked. 

"All." Walker growled. "Must....not....let it get.....out. Protocols. Dangerous. Evil. Unnatural."

Ash frowned at his choppy words but her eyes brightened as it hit her. He was military. He was speaking of protocols as if he was military. She knew how to talk to military officers. She had worked with a few before. Kyle had been a U.S Soldier before becoming a mercenary. 

There was only unnatural thing she could think of that would be unnatural. "The Walrider." She whispered and flinched when he growled savagely. She frowned at him but swallowed hard. "If you kill all, it'll die on its own. It needs a body to inhabit. But you can't do it by yourself. You need backup. It can help you. Allow it to help you."

Walker shook his head as he growled at her but then paused and then he nodded. "I'll kill all. And it will die." He growled. 

Ash nodded slowly as she thought about what to say to him. She was going to have to lie some but if it worked, it might be worth it. "30 minutes. Kill them all. All Murkoff. Protocol 3020 calls for the death of all Murkoff workers. But I....have a mission of my own. I have to find someone and help them. They.....he's not compatible with the Walrider. He needs to be rescued. This is a reacue mission. Can you help me, Soldier?" She asked making her voice as firm as possible.

She watched Chris Walker's eyes brightened but he seemed to snap into attention as he nodded sharply. 

"Where is the Walrider, Soldier?" Ash asked, her voice strong and firm. 

"In lab. Very center. Big black ball." Walker growled. 

Ash's eyes lit up as she looked over her shoulder towards the door. Her mind raced to the big plasma ball as her breath caught in her chest. 

The Walrider's containment unit.....it was the huge machine that was connected to the spheres. It was the morphogenetic engine. The swarm was trapped inside of it. 

She needed to go into the lab where every Murkoff employee was working. She exhaled shakily before looking at Chris Walker.

"30 minutes then. I'll leave the door open and unlocked. Can you break the chains or do you know where the......" she had been asking. 

Chris Walker seemed to grin nastily at her before he raised an arm and pulled it back before shifting his feet. He then lurched forward, making Ash flinch and stumbled back as he gave a mighty tug to the chains, which snapped immediately. It was kind of a surprise that someone didn't hear that.

Eyes wide, Ash swallowed hard as she slowly backed away. She knew there was no use to those chains. They might have been on him but he had brute strength. He didn't need to be chained. The chains were probably there for just Murkoff's relief. He probably broke more chains than he had on right now.

"Okay......then. I......I'll just.....leave the door open. Count to 400 and then wreck hell." She said uneasily. 

Walker seemed to find amusement in that but he just stood there and then began counting. 

Immediately Ash turned and hurried out of the cell. She left the door open by only a crack, knowing he would stay there until he reached 400. And then he would break out. 

She, on the other hand, turned and started to head down the corridor back to the large window to look out. She needed a plan......

"Well, well, well, look who we have right here."

Ash stiffened with a squeak before she turned around quickly and felt her heart drop when she saw Blaire standing there with guards, coming out from one of the cells. She didn't know why they were coming out of there bit shenknew she was caught. 

"Shit." She murmured before turning and bolting for the lab. 

"Hey! Stop, you bitch!" Blaire snarled as they immediately gave chase. 

Ash ran as hard as she could throwing the door open as she ran into the lab. She heard shouts of surprise as she ran towards the big plasma ball. She knew she couldn't outrun them. She could try but she knew she couldn't. 

She ignored the startled shouts of scientists as she rushed right up to the morphogenetic engine and only had a second to look it over. She saw a big red button and reached for it. 

However, unfortunately, she felt someone grab her from behind and yank her backwards from it. Her fingers barely touched the button before she was thrown to the ground and she looked up in fear as Blaire and the guards stood over her. 

Sneering down at her, Blaire folded his arms before glancing at the Engine. He smirked as he turned back to her and clicked his fingers to signal the guards to grab her. 

Ash couldn't help but cry out as she was roughly grabbed and yanked to her feet. She tried to thrash to get away but it was no use. 

"So, wanting to see the Engine, huh?" Blaire sneered. He then pointed at an empty sphere. "Put her in." 

There were a few startled murmurs and one doctor hurried forward. "Mr Blaire, I must protest! She isn't in the Morphogenetic Engine program! She hasn't been tested! She hasn't even seen the reels! We cannot...." he was saying. 

"Shut the fuck up!" Blaire snapped at him before nodding to the guards. "Put her in. The most that will happen is her mind snaps and she actually does become a crazy bitch. She isn't dangerous. It won't hurt the machine or the program." 

Ash screamed as she found herself now dragged towards the sphere, where doctors werw fetting the tubes ready. "No, no, no, no!" She cried as she felt a guard grab her by the hair and yank her head back. 

Another grabbed her jaw, even as she screamed and the tubes were being slid into her mouth and down her throat, making her gag and tears of pain spring from her eyes. 

She was yanked and pulled towards one of the spheres and strapped into it. She tried to fight, gasping and choking as she was lifted right up into the sphere, where it began to fill with fluid around her. 

She tried to fight against the restraints that held her wrists and her ankles before she felt something stab into her arm. 

Barely able to see past whatever the fluid was, she saw the screen in front of her sphere light up and she felt her heart pound and eyes widen to see ink blots. A staticky pattern and she couldn't tear her eyes away. 

Even when it went dark for her, she saw it.

Darkness.

It was so dark around her but she felt like she was floating in blackness. It was cold andnjust dsrk and she was floating. 

There was hum ringing in her ears and inside her head. She could see static in the darkness and it felt numb to her. She felt as if she was dying. 

Nothing made sense as she just floated in black but she saw something forming in front of her unseeing eyes. She didn't know what she was looking at but she could have sworn she saw something forming before her. 

Like shadows coming to life and taking form. She felt something touching her but she couldn't see what it was. 

She heard distant whispers but the words couldn't be made out. Almost like it was a completely different language that she didn't know. 

Someone was talking but she couldn't hear the words. It was like she was deaf or in water and the words were just too muffled for her to make any sense. But she heard a haunting sigh practically within her head. 

And then, a form appeared before her. 

A shadow of something. 

"You're not suppose to be here. They've put you here. That was not the plan." Something spoke and the voice from whoever it was almost.....ghostly. It sounded more like an echo, like many voices speaking at once but so hushed. 

"Who....who are you?" She found herself asking and even her voice was like an echo. 

"You know us. You've seen us. They put you in the machine. You don't belong here with us in the machine. No. No. No." The voice echoed as if right beside her ear now. "Stupid humans.....they don't know what they just did." 

"Wh-what did they do?" She found herself ask. 

"They angered us. Us. Us. You were not meant for the machine. You were not meant for the hive. They gave you to us. Mistaken. They've been mistaken." The voice whispered into her ear before she felt something caressing her. 

Ash felt something touching her face and then moving down between her breast until something stopped on her belly. She felt naked and it scared her. 

But something was touching her stomach, resting there. 

"You are with child." The voice echoed and her heart skipped a beat in surprise. "New host? New host, host, host?" The voice echoed. 

"No, no, no, no. Too young, young, young....cannot touch young.....but she....she is suitable." The voice seemed to echo to itself now. 

"All right, knock it off. Back up and let her calm down for a minute, Wally." A new spoke and a new shadow formed before her. 

She couldn't see him but she knew that voice. She knew who it was. She just saw darkness and the shadowy form of him but she knew it was Billy Hope. 

He was in her head. 

"Ashton, you weren't suppose to be put into the machine. It's going to change you if you don't get out fast." Billy's voice spoke. 

"I don't know how." She cried softly, her voice an echo. 

"Of course not. You can't get out by yourself but maybe.....Ash, I'm dying. My body is wearing out. They've done too much to my body and it's failing. They need a new host. You're suitable but.....you're pregnant. They don't want to hurt your baby. They can stay inside of you until a new host is presented. Though, you'll more than likely have a branch hive left inside." 

"What?" She asked confused. 

"Open your mind. Let it in. Let it attach itself to you. Some part of it will stay with me until they find the new host but some will stay with you. It will protect you." Billy said his voice echoing. "You and your child." 

"Child?" She whispered confused. 

"Yes.....it's barely developing but it will die if you don't get out of here. The swarm.....they'll surround your womb and if anyone tries to pierce it, it will emerge and kill them. It will kill whoever tries to harm you.....let it in." 

"Let what in?" She asked confused. 

"Open your mind and let The Walrider in." Billy said his voice almost fading. 

Ash frowned to herself but she thought about the Walrider and as if she had opened a door, something very cold seemed to touch her head. She felt as if a brain freeze struck her, making her gasp as she felt something sinking into her. 

"Don't fight it. It won't hurt you or your baby. It will protect you." Billy spoke. "Now be ready. Hell is about to break loose. Don't fight it as itntakes control. Let it happen." 

Ash felt that coldness filling every inch of her before her physical body jolted sharply, making her gasp as she opened her eyes and she was back to reality. 

Wherever she had been was now fading away and she could see shadows before her very eyes as she found herself looking at the ink blot screens before. She heard shouting and screams as she watched shadowy tendrils come out of her very pores of her skin and strike outward. 

There was a loud crash of glass breaking and she found herself falling to the ground. 

But shadowy tendrils caught her from landing on her face, holding her up. She didn't feel in control of her body but she did stand up, reaching up to pull the tubes from her throat. 

Ash felt herself turn and look at the many horrified people now watching her with wide eyes. She didn't know why they were looking at her like that. People looked terrified of her. 

But to them, to the Murkoff employees, they saw Ash standing there, with living shadows trailing off of her and her eyes were black as night while tendrils of black stretched outward, forming the Walrider from behind her as it snarled and hissed at them. 

It was then, Hell broke loose.


	19. The Mount Massive Massacre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter

Alarms were blaring and there were screams echoing all around her. People were screaming and running away. 

It was like a dream for her. 

Everything seemed so fuzzy in her head, like she was sleep walking but her eyes were open. She knew they were but she couldn't see clearly. She felt as if she was swimming in darkness and her eyes were open but everything was so blurred. 

Ash felt herself moving but she wasn't in control of herself. She felt like a puppet, being moved. She couldn't take control of her own body. 

But she heard breathing in her ears and heard a humming in her head. 

Something was with her. 

She couldn't see it but she felt it. She couldn't see anything that made sense to her. She heard screams but couldn't hear anyone. She just couldn't fight it. Nor did she want to fight it. 

'Don't fight us. Us is helping you.' She heard a thousand voices say as one. 

"What's happening? I don't understand." She found herself murmur. 

'Us is in control. Don't fight us. Us is taking your vengeance. They hurt you too many times now. They forced you to do things. Us sees your memories. Us sees what they did to you. They will die. Us will rip them to pieces for your sake. And the sake of your offspring. You must live. Us ensures that.' The voices spoke. 

And everything went dark as Ash felt her control slip from her grasp. 

The next she knew, she was waking up with that humming in her head again. She was returned the control of her own body and she woke up. 

But she regretted it the second she did. 

Because Ash woke up in a dark room with flashing lights above her. She didn't know where she was but she knew she didn't like it. Especially when she was covered almost completely in blood. She was practically bathed in blood and other bodily fluids. She could smell it and it made her gag.

She found herself lying on hardwood flooring and blood surrounded her body as if it had spilled from her. But she didn't hurt at all. 

Frowning, she sat up and looked around. 

It was still the Asylum but everything was completely trashed as if there had been a massive earthquake. Light fixtures hung broken from the ceiling and some didn't work at all. 

She was in a room, someone's bed room perhaps because she was on the floor beside a bed that had blood splattered on it and on the walls. 

Frowning, Ash slowly and unsteadily climbed tonher feet, using the bed to pull herself up and she grimaced at herself. She was coated in blood and it made her stomach churn at the smell of iron. 

What had happened? 

Ash looked towards the door and she carefully moved towards it, pulling it slowly open to peer out. 

Her heart pounding, Ash gaped in shock when she saw the state of the halls. She saw blood everywhere and she was sure there were some body parts lying around. It was like people had exploded right that spot where puddles of it were. 

There was a sign though. 

Male Patients Ward-South End

Ash frowned in complete uneasy, her mouth parted a little bit. She didn't remember coming here. She had been in the Underground lab the last time she remembered. How did she get back up in the Asylum?

Slowly, she began walking down the hall, wrapping her arms around herself. She was scared now. She had no clue what had happened. She didn't remember anything other than she had been....looking for Eddie. 

Gasping, she looked around sharply. She had been looking for Eddie because he had been in trouble. He had been taken down to the labs to be placed into the morphogenetic engine and she went to help him. She had been attacked by Blaire and the guards and placed her in the morphogenetic engine too. 

But other than that, she didn't remember how she got out. It was too fuzzy for her.

Ash let out a trembling sigh before she walked on. She needed to find out what happened and where Eddie was. She had to find her husband and get the hell out of this place. 

Walking down the hall, she came to a more open area and her breath was once again taken away from her. She saw the lobby. 

The main lobby of the Asylum.

There was no doubt about it now. She should have realized it when she woken up in blood and there was blood everywhere. Especially with body parts everywhere. 

There must have been a riot or something because the main lobby was covered in blood and there were dead bodies everywhere. 

Murkoff employees from what she could see were dead everywhere. She saw many of them just lying in pools of blood, some without heads. Some had their stomachs ripped open and their innards were spilled across the floor..

It was a massacre. 

Her breathing becoming unsteady, Ash looked around and saw one of the chained stairwells. She immediately began running for it. She had to find Eddie. Her mind was only on Eddie. She needed to find out if he survived this. 

Whatever happened, it wasn't good. 

Running to the stairs, she rushed up them since the ones down had collapsed, she hurried as quick as she could, coming to another chain linked gate. She tried it but it was locked so she kept going. 

Somehow, she needed to find her way Home. She needed to get back to her and Eddie's space. She didn't know if he was there but she had to at least check. She needed him. He was safe. He was her husband. 

And she wanted him safe. 

Running up the stairs, she did come to a dark hallway where she slowed to a fast walk. She didn't want to risk being heard by anyone she didn't want to run into. She didn't know who would try and hurt her and who wouldn't. 

The hallway was practically a maze, though and she did frown as she saw blood painted on the walls, forming words. 

FOLLOW THE BLOOD 

She frowned but she did start following the blood. She didn't know who painted that but they weren't around anymore so she couldn't be too sure if it was dangerous or not. 

Unfortunately there was a gaping hole in the ground and the doors beyond the hole were too far away, so she did find herself climbing down into the hole to the lower levels.

As she went, there were more dead bodies. Murkoff and patients. 

She swallowed hard as she went past them, eyeing them as if they would come back to life. She also listened hard for any other sounds and thankfully it was quiet. 

Passing by windows, she did peer out and saw that it was pitch black outside so it was night time. But it was also raining very hard out there and it made her feel nervous as she continued down the halls, trying to find anyway back to the basketball court. 

Down one hall, Ash heard insane yelling so she turned from that one and kept walking until she found a staircase going down. 

Sighing, she walked on. 

She swore she had been walking for an hour now and still wasn't finding anything other than dead bodies. The blood coated on her was starting to dry and flake, making her grimace as she began scratching at it. It itched like hell.

As she walked, she came to a flight of stairs and she walked up them, now ignoring the blood trails on the walls and the floors. She grimaced and felt her stomach churn as she found a Murkoff employee dead on the ground, looking as if he had exploded. She just walking down a hall, now frowning at doors with names onnthe walls beside them. 

She was in the upper levels, the Executive offices. She recognized this hall way. 

Frowning, Ash walked on until she came to a set of large oak doors, where she stopped and looked right at the name plate beside the door. 

Jeremy Blaire's office. 

An icy feeling washed over her as she looked at Blaire's office doors before she went over to them and turned the knob. 

It was unlocked. 

Ash entered the office and looked around, seeingnhow fancy it was. It was almost untouched, unlike most of the rest of the Asylum but there were papers thrown across the room and the desk had over turned, spilling allnof it's contents on the ground. 

But no one was there. 

She had expected to find Blaire there, curled in a corner and looking terrified of whatever happened to the asylum but he wasn't. 

Looking around, she did see a closet door open and she went to look inside it and her breath caught in her chest when she saw her old backpack just tossed on the floor. And her old clothes she had come in with rolled up next to it. 

A slow smile formed on her face as she bent down and grabbed her clothes. Her pants, her boots, her military grade jacket, her underwear; which made her grimace at a thought of why Blaire kept her underwear. She could only imagine him being the type to sniff them whenever he had the time. 

The thought made her gag but she began peeling the blood soaked dress she was wearing and began pulling on her old clothes. 

Once she was dressed, never minding that she was covered in blood or not, Ash grabbed her backpack and looked into it. 

To her satisfaction, her knives were still in it. 

A slow, almost manical grin formed on her face as she began pulling them out and strapping them to her utility belt and one on her leg. She was now armed. They might have been knives but they were something to defend herself with. 

Ash looked in her backpack and did find most of her stuff were still there. She still had flashlights and glow sticks and it made her smile. 

And her grin widened when she saw the extra phone she had tossed in at the bottom of her pack. She immediately grabbed it and turned it on. She had to wait a minute as it booted up and she took that moment to look around Blaire's office. 

She saw a cracked laptop on the floor so she went to investigate it. It was broken though, the screen terribly cracked. There was no connection to the internet and a signal was reading that the signal jammers was in place, which made her growl to herself. 

If there were signal jammers, she probably couldn't use her phone then. She couldn't call for Simon. 

Making sure everything was in her backpack, Ash tossed it over her back and tightened the straps around her waist. She gathered up her long blonde hair and tied it back with a rubber band she found lying around. 

She was ready for this. 

Her goal was to find Eddie, find the signal jammers and get the fuck out of Mount Massive Asylum. She really hoped she would run into Jeremy Blaire on the way. She had a score to settle now. She might have been afraid of him before, but something was different and it wasn't just because she was now armed. 

She had every intention of killing that mother fucker before escaping from the Asylum with Eddie. 

She was done being afraid of him and had every intention of making him afraid of her. It was her turn to put the fear of God into him. She would make him rue the day he ever met her. 

Her eyes set into a glare, Ash left the office and began looking around. She did pause to pull out the map she still had in her pack, looking it over. She smiled when she saw where she was. 

It was a good distance of where she needed to go, but she at least knew where she was going now. 

The basketball courts were completely on the other side of the Asylum of where she was but if she got to the roof, she knew she could just walk there. It would help with avoiding anyone she didn't intend to meet. 

According to the map, there was a roof access point not too far from where she was. 

So, Ash followed the map and began traveling down the halls, a knife in her hand for just in case she ran into someone she really didn't want to meet.

Walking down the halls, having to turn down a few and finding more blood and gore, Ash finally found a door accessible to the roof, so she tried door but found it locked. She growled in frustration and kicked at it hard in her anger. 

It was to her surprise, her foot sank right through it, making her stumble back in shock as she stared at it. 

The door.....it was a good inch thick of hard wood. 

There was no way she could have broken it. It must have been cracked before but it it was something so she gave it a good solid kick again and this time, the door broke off on the hinges.

Again, Ash stared in bewilderment. She didn't know if that was supposed to happen and she made a face from it. 

"What the hell......?" She muttered. 

But nonetheless, she headed up the stairs, leading to the roof. 

Making it outside, Ash was met with a heavy ran fall, that made her grimace. She knew if she ended up soaked, her flashlights and the phone might get ruined so she tucked them at the very bottom in one of the plastic bags she still had in the pack. 

Her only worries was slipping and falling due to the roof top was slightly slanted. She just hoped that she wouldn't. 

Carefully going out into the rain, Ash began scaling the roof, grimacing as she slipped a little. She had to clutch to the side of the walls and even dig her fingers into roof shingles to kept moving.

She noticed a a flat part of the roof up ahead and she carefully maneuvered towards it, clenching her teeth as she felt the shingles becoming a little more slippery under her boots. She was going to have to be very careful making her way......

And she slipped. 

Her boots squeaked from under her feet and she hit the roof top with a cry before starting to slide right down. 

It couldn't be helped as she screamed as she began sliding quickly until her feet met air. She shrieked again as she scrambled for the drain pipe at the edge but she missed it and started to fall right off the roof. 

Suddenly, something snatched her wrist and jerked her to a stop from falling, making her gasp as she looked up at what had caught her. 

Her breath left her lungs and froze as she looked right up that skeletal, smokey form of the Walrider as it stood right on the roof top, gripping her by the wrist to keep her from falling.

It held her tightly for just a moment before lifting her up and even rising with her right into the air. 

Ash sucked in a breath as she found herself and the Walrider hovering in mid air before they turned and flew across the rainy sky to the flat part of the roof and gently set down on concrete. 

Once her feet was touching the ground, Ash collapsed onto her butt and stared wide eyed at the swarm before her as it stood over her, now watching her with empty eye sockets. 

"Walrider......" Ash whispered as she hyperventilated in relief now. 

'Careful now, host. If you fall, you will die.' She heard a thousand voices in her head. 

Ash gaped at the Walrider in shock as she realized it was talking to her. She could actually hear its voice and it just startled her to silence for a good moment. "You're.....talking to me....." she muttered in shock.

The Walrider tilted its head to the side, before it slowly bent down over her, looking her right in the eyes. 'You don't remember.' It spoke before reaching up and touching her temple. 'Us make you remember. Relax. It won't hurt.' 

Ash frowned before her eyes snapped wide open as she suddenly saw many images in her head, flashing before her eyes. She could only gasp as the memories assaulted her at once. 

She remembered. 

She saw herself in the morphogenetic engine and then she saw the Walrider and heard Billy's voice. He had been in her head. He had told her things. He had told her that the Walrider would use her as a temporary host until a new host showed up.

She saw herself breaking out of the sphere, but it wasn't her who had been in control. She was only a backseat passenger as the Walrider took over her body and began slaughtering any Murkoff employee that had been near her. It had used her to kill and even went speeding through the air, slicing and exploding people while controlling her body to walk.

She remembered seeing Blaire's horrified face as he turned and ran as fast as he could away from her while others were being slaughtered. 

The Walrider......she remembered had smashed one of the control panels of the big containment unit and there.....there were two Walriders. It had split itself into two. 

Two Walriders now speeding through the air, slicing and exploding people. Ripping them to pieces. 

One to stay with her. And the other being controlled by Billy Hope. 

She remembered hearing a gutteral roar from behind her and she had turned around to see Chris Walker breaking out and now grabbing people, ripping them into pieces and ripping heads off. 

He had looked at her, she looked at him. He looked like he wanted to run at her and probably kill her like he was doing to the Murkoff employees but because of the Walrider hovering around her, he chose to just go after the Murkoff employees. 

It had been a slaughterhouse. 

Ash remembered the Walrider controlling her body, taking her up the elevator and entering the Asylum. She remembered alarms blaring and people running and screaming. 

The Walrider left her for a moment, leaving her in a daze as it flew into the walls and computers before the alarms blarred even louder as every single cell in the entire Asylum opened, allowing patients to begin their riots. 

No patient approached her as the Walrider entered her again, taking control. They didn't dare to with it hovering around her, controlling to walk on. 

It took her to the room where she woke up in, leaving her to rest while it and the other Walrider began their killing spree. A piece of it had stayed inside of her as a guard, wrapping around her womb to protect her......

Ash snapped back to reality as she slapped a hand to her middle and she looked down at her stomach in shock. She remembered what Billy and the Walrider said. 

They wanted to protect her and her baby. 

Her baby. 

"Oh, my God." Ash gasped softly now pressing her fingers into her belly. "I'm pregnant."

The Walrider purred at her words as it moved only a little closer, now pressing its claws against her own hand, making her look up at it. It looked back. 'Gluskin. Sire.' It mere said to her. 

Ash frowned softly before looking at her stomach again. She couldn't believe it. She and Eddie had conceived a child together. It made her scared and yet excited at once. 

But she knew, now more than ever, she needed to find him. She needed to find him and tell him.

As if reading her thoughts, and probably did, the Walrider hissed softly. 'No. Gluskin unstable. Mind shattered. You must leave without him. He danger. He will kill you.' It said. 

Ash gave the Walrider a firm look but shook her head. "No, he won't. He loves me. He would never hurt me and our baby." She told it. 

Again the Walrider shook its head. 'Unstable. Mind broken. No remember you. Your eyes.....only way. But eyes not same.' It said before pushing the image of her towards her of what it saw of her. 

Her eyes were not green and gold anymore. They were black as ink.

Swallowing hard, Ash shook her head again. "I love him. I have to try. Please......do you know where he is? Is he home? In our space? I need him." She said almost pleading. 

The Walrider hissed and she could have sworn it sighed before shaking its head. It didn't know. Not yet. 

"Find him for me. Please." Ash begged. 

'Us cannot leave you. You danger if us leave. Cannot protect.' It said to her. 

Ash just grew firm before patting her knives on her belt. "I'll be fine. Just find Eddie. Find him and then come get me. I will find a way to make him remember me." She said before stiffening when she heard gunshots and shouts. 

She and the Walrider both looked down from the roof top towards the courtyard of the Asylum and they saw Jeremy Blaire shooting at patients with a gun before running. He was alone. He didn't even have guards to back him up. 

A wave of hate and anger rolled through Ash as she looked at Blaire, watching him running through the courtyard. She felt the need to kill him rising stronger than ever. 

"Find my husband, Walrider. Then come get me. I have something to do first. And no," Ash said coldly when she felt the Walrider shift next to her, almost as if it was going to bull rush down towards Blaire. She even grabbed at its arm. "He's mine. I can do this one on my own. I need to. It's my turn to put the fear of God in him. He tortured me for the last fucking time." She growled as she watched Blaire shooting at more patients who had been trying to attack him. 

The Walrider growled but lifted into the air, going to search for Eddie Gluskin. 

Ash just glared down at Blaire as he entered the Asylum, close to where she was. She would find him. 

And she would kill him.


	20. Pretty Little Psycho

It honestly did not take long to find Jeremy Blaire at all for Ash. 

When she went back into the building to start looking for him, she seriously just needed to listen for him, though where he had gone was going to be the difficult part. 

It was the prison block of the Asylum. 

She had to get in through a roof access that was pretry difficult to get to but she managed just fine before walking down a hall where she did find herself in a very noisy area. 

The prison block was still full of patients and what made her a little uneasy was the fact that some of the patients were wandering around. Some were in their cells, banging against the bars, making quite the racket.

Because of the noise, Ash knew it would be harder to hear where Blaire was. But seeing as a few dead patients had bullet holes in their heads and they were freshly dead, she knew he was close. She mostly stayed on the upper levels where most of the patients were locked up and banging against the bars, looking around for the Executive and ignoring some of the yells that were directed to her. 

She wasn't too worried about them because when she looked at them and they saw her eyes, they immediately silenced. 

It got only a little quieter when the patients noticed how black her eyes were. 

It made it that much more easier to listen for Blaire. 

And she heard him.

Ash could hear Blaire swearing down a hall a little ways from the prison cells and she followed his voice to another part of the prison where there were floors of prison cells. 

He was in an open space surrounded by dead patients he had shot. He had discarded the gun, which was obviously empty by now. And he was attempting to try and open a barred gate to get out of the prison block. 

It was here, she cornered him. 

At first, Blaire hadn't notice her now moving to the middle of the room to face him. His back was to her as he yanked and banged at the bars, screaming profanities as he tried to get it open. He did have a ring of keys that he was using but he just couldn't find the right key for the lock. 

Ash glared at him as she stood behind him, one of her knives in her hand. 

But when he turned angrily from the barred gate, Blaire swore loudly as he jumped at the sight of her. 

"Fucking shit!" Blaire yelped as he lept back against the bars before staring at her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Get the fuck away from me!"

"What's wrong, Blaire? You afraid of a pretty little psycho?" Ash asked in her best sinister voice she could manage. 

Blaire glared at her as he remained against the bars, trying to keep away from her as she just stood there. "I'm not afraid of you, you bitch! You're not dangerous!" He snapped as he tried sliding against the bars to get around her but halted when she moved in his way. 

"Sure you are. You don't have your guards to back you up this time, Jeremy. What, you can't take on one little woman by yourself?" Ash sneered at him. 

Blaire just glowered at her before he finally stepped away from the bars, now balling up his fists. He looked like he was going to hit her if he moved closer. He was taller her and he did count on the past to scare her. 

But Ash stood her ground. 

And that made him stop from coming any closer. 

"The only reason I would ever be afraid of you is because you're the Walrider's new host! It's not you that I'm scared of, you pathetic bitch!" Blaire snapped. 

"I'm not the new host, Blaire. The Walrider was only in my body to help me escape from the labs. It wanted me out of the Engine because I wasn't suppose to be there. It wasn'tthe plan." Ash said icily as she faced him.

Blaire glared at her but his eyes did show a hint of confusion. "Plan?" He asked with a growl. 

"Yeah. It was their plan. Billy's and the Walrider's plan for me to come here. They wanted me here. They wanted me to destroy all of this." Ash said, her voice dangerous but also nearly dead of any emotion. 

"So I'm guessing they're behind that fucking Whistleblower then?!" Blaire growled. 

It was Ash's turn to frown. 

"What, you didn't know about that fucking I.T specialist, Waylon Park blowing the whistle on Mount Massive?!" Blaire sneered at her now amused that he knew something that she didn't. 

A small smile formed on Ash's face now as her mind went to Waylon Park. He must have done what she asked then. He had sent a message to her friend. To Miles, who clearly probably told Simon. 

"No, Jeremy. That one was me. So, Waylon did what I asked then. He sent the email." Ash said now smiling dangerously. 

Blaire stopped for a moment to stare at her for just a moment before a rage burned through him. "You, bitch! You told Park to send that email?! You fucking ruined everything! You pathetic, psychotic bitch!" He snarled. "Oh, I'm going to fuck you so hard until you are fucking dead!" 

He even charged at her, fists raised. 

Ash snapped to the ready before having to dance away from him as he swung a fist at her. She quickly moved back as he continued to swing at her, allowing to try and back her up. She held her knife tightly as he tried to attack her, quickly moving as he swung at her. 

And before he could swing a third time, Ash slashed out with her knife, sliding the blade across his leg and making him scream out in pain as he fell to the ground, now clutching his leg. 

Standing over him now, Ash stood up straight with the now bloody knife in her hand. She watched him, for once, look up at her with fear. 

"How does it feel, Blaire? How does it feel to be the one afraid of someone now?" Ash asked coldly as she stood over him. She felt so much satisfaction just by him looking up at her with wide eyes, the fear in his eyes as he began trying to crawl away from her, still touching his leg where she slashed him. 

"You have tortured me since I got here!" Ash growled as she began following him, moving like a predator as he tried to keep crawling back. She remained over him, following him with the knife raised. "You have had me beaten. You have had me raped over and over again. You have raped me just to make my brother squirm. You hurt me and you have had a sick mother fucker molest me. You have taunted me. You forced me to marry Eddie Gluskin!" She snapped before letting a dangerous smile form on her lips. "Too bad that one backfired on you, huh?" 

Blaire glared at her but the fear was still there. He didn't say anything but glare at her. 

"You didn't count on Eddie actually falling in love with me, did you? You thought he would have hurt me! You thought he would kill me! Well he didn't! And I have to thank you for forcing us to marry! Because now, I have no problem saying that I love him! And you hurt him! Because he wouldn't hurt me! Wrll guess what, Jerry! You hurt the man I love, so I'm going to hurt you!" Ash snapped now raising the knife. 

Blaire swore as he turned and started to scramble away from her. 

Except it wasn't her who he was scrambling from. 

Because before she could swing the knife, there came a thunderous boom from behind her, making Ash swing around with surprise. 

And to her horror, Chris Walker had arrived. 

"Little Pig!" The giant of a man growled now starting to move towards her. "Times up! Now I kill you!" 

Ash felt the breath leave her lungs before she turned to run, herself. She swore when she saw Blaire already onnhis feet and running. It was more like limp running but he was gone, ignoring the pain in his leg as he just ran back the way he and Ash had come in. 

She bolted as fast as she could after him, hearing thunderous footsteps behind her as Walker gave chase. 

Running down the hall, Ash did notice Blaire slip through a door and slam it shut. She didn't bother to even stop and try and open the door. She just ran right back to the other Prison block, bursting out into the cells area. 

She didn't have a lot of options to running as she kept going as fast as she could. She ran for the first thing she saw and that was a metal stairway. She was up those stairs as fast as she could. 

Problem was, Walker was not that far behind her, yelling "Little Pig!" after her as her feel pounding on the stairs. 

She had no clue where she was going but she didn't have any options but to just keep going. She had to get away as fast as she could. She knew if she slipped at all, if she fell, she would be caught by Chris Walker. 

Running for the stairs and turning down a catwalk of metal, Ash ran and looked wildly around for any other options to go. She briefly only saw gated halls but she didn't have time to try one of them. 

She found herself mostly giving Walker a run around, knowingnhe was still right behind her. 

'Fuck, he's fast for a big guy!' She thought to herself, almost feeling his grasping fingers go through her long hair. 

"Little sister!" Someone shouted. 

Ash barely had time to look up at one of the upper floors right above her. She saw a big hand hanging over the level above her, out stretched. 

She seriously didn't know what she was thinking by quickly stopoing and grabbing the railing. She didn't know what she was thinking when she threw herself over, twisting her body so she could throw her hand out and grab that big hand. 

She just followed some hidden instinct and grabbed that hand, which grasped hers tightly before yanking her up just as Chris Walker tried to grab her. He missed by the skim of her boots before bellowing out in rage. 

Ash just gasped as she found herself yanked up to the upper level and pulled over the railing above. A big strong arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her up against a big hairy chest as she was carried away from the railing and into a well lit hallway, where the other one slammed the gate. 

She was soon set down on her feet, where she gasped as she bent over, trying tp catch her breath. She barely glanced up and froze when she saw the Twins. 

A weak, panting smile formed on her face as she looked up at them, her chest heaving as she remained bent over. But she had never been more happy to see them.......

Her eyes grew wide as she froze as she looked them over, finding herself level eyed with their thighs. 

"Dresie, Casie, why the fuck are you two naked?!" Ash blurted out as she snapped up and backed away a little bit as she eyed them with alarm. 

The Twins just stared blankly at her but they did have a hint amusement in their eyes. 

"Didn't want to wear anything." The taller Twin said as he stood next to his shorter brother. 

"More airy." The shorter said.

Ash grimaced as she couldn't stop herself from looking them over. She made a face when she saw their manhoods just dangling there and she shuddered. Just like the rest of their bodies, they did have huge packages down there for all to see. 

Shuddering, Ash looked up at them instead but smiled in relief as she ignored the fact that they were naked as she stepped forward to hug both of them. "Th-thank you both either way. I thought I was done for. He almost had me." She said still slightly put of breath.

The Twins did smile at her as they wrapped their big arms around her and then allowed hernto step back. 

"Saw you running from Walker." 

"Thought we would help you out." 

"Little sister." Both said at once. 

Ash looked gratefully up at them before looking around. "Where's Father Martin? He's usually with you." She said looking for the priest. 

The taller twin, Casie shook his head. "The priest is preparing for final atonement." He simply said. 

"The witness is here. He will see what has been done. Father Martin is preparing for finality to his salvation." Dresie said blankly. 

Ash just frowned as she looked at them. She didn't understand what they were saying. "Witness? Who?" She asked them. 

The Twins looked at one another before motioning to her to follow them. 

Frowning, she followed them. 

The three of them walked through the halls and Ash noticed the machetes that they were carrying. It made her stiffen in unease but she knew they wouldn't hurt her. They had made up their minds about her. 

She was their little sister so they didn't want to hurt her. 

Still, she didn't know who they were talking about but she figured they would tell hernor show her once they got to where they were going. 

It wasn't too long before the Twins lead her to the main lobby, where they stood next to the elevator. 

There was another patient there, waiting for them. He looked surprised when he saw Ash but turned his attention to the Twins instead. "The man is in the theater, seeing the reels. Father Martin is almost ready. He wants you to bring the witness to the chapel." He said to them before turning and leaving. 

Ash frowned but looked at the Twins, who seemed to be talking to one another without words. She still didn't understand. 

But then Casie turned and walked towards a door across the room with a sign next to it that said Theater. Dresie just stood there and when Ash made to follow Casie, he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. 

So, she waited with him. 

It was at least ten minutes later when Ash heard someone running. She turned towards the theater door and watched as the gated door was thrown open and a man stumbled to a halt in alarm. 

She froze, he froze. But they looked right at each other. 

The man was an older man and clearly didn't belong there. He was in his late 30's, just a little older than her. But he was dressed in blue jeans and a long sleeve grey dress shirt which was splattered with some blood. He also wore a thick brown leather jacket with wool lining around the neck line.

The man, himself, had a handsome face, though bruised badly from some fights he had. His hair was dark brown and shaggy styled, completely wild from a lot of running and sticking to his sweaty brow with flecks of blood on his face. 

But nonetheless, Ash knew him. She knew him very well. 

"Miles!?" She gasped her hands over her mouth. 

Miles Upshur looked wide eyed at her in shock before he gave a short laugh and rushed to her, which she in turn ran to him. They both threw their arms around each other, embracing tightly. 

"Oh, my fucking God, Ashton! What the fuck?!" Miles gasped as he hugged her tightly.

With tears in her eyes, Ash just held onto him tightly, burying her face into his chest. She began sobbing as he held her tightly in his arms. 

But then he jerked, grabbing her arm and yanking away as he pushed her behind him. He had noticed the Twins standing near them. 

"Ash! Watch out! Get behind me!" Miles yelled now clutching her to his back as he started backing away with her. 

Ash grimaced as she clutched to his jacket but then ducked under his arm, dancing away as he tried grabbing for her again. She held up a hand to him and then to the Twins. "Miles, it's okay!" She cried put to him. 

Miles looked like she was crazy as he looked between her and the Twins, who did move to stand right next to her. "What the fuck, Ash?! No, it's not okay! Those two fuckers have been trying to kill me all night! Along some huge guy! Get away from them! Or they're going to.....!" 

Ash reached out both hands and placed them on both of the Twins' arms, gently nudging them back, which surprisingly they backed up. "Dresie, Casie, please. Just....give me a minute to calm him down." She told them and they nodded to her. She turned back to the bewildered look on Miles' face. "Miles, please trust me. They won't hurt you anymore. Not if I ask them not to." 

Miles just stared at her with wide eyes but slowly backed up a little. "What?! But Ash.....they've...." he was saying. 

"I'm kind of their little sister, Miles. They've sort of adopted me. They'll be good. Won't you, boys?" Ash asked looking up at the Twins, who both nodded again.

Miles didn't relax but he wasn't trying ro get her away from them. He instead looked at her and then froze. "Hey.....your eyes.....what happened to them? They're black." He said in alarm. 

"Long story." Ash said as she looked him over before looking horrified by his hands. She saw that both hands were covered in blood, due to the fact that finger on each had been cut off. "Oh my goe, Miles! Your hands!" She cried out now reaching for them. 

Miles flinched as she took his hands, now looking at the nubs he now had on each. "Long story. Batshit crazy Doctor cut them off." He said with a groan of pain as she looked at them. 

Ash grimaced as she had a feeling she knew who he had been talking about. "Trager?" And she received a nod. "Is he dead? Please tell me that asshole is dead." 

"Yeah, he's dead. He tried to stab me with some long ass bone scissors and he got caught in the elevator that I was escaping from him in. Broke his back and killed him immediately." Miles said before sighing as he took his hands back. "What happened, Ash? Simon kind of filled me in on some. But not everything. What the fuck happened?" 

Ash sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I broke his rules. I got caught. I'vebeen tortured, raped many times, made some interestingfriends," she glanced at the Twins on that one. "I've also gotten married and so I need to find my husband." She told him.

Miles was frozen on that one. He looked absolutely shocked to hear that. "You married one of these psychos?" He asked in alarm. 

"Didn't have a choice at the time. It's kind of our fault. We were pretending anyway that we were in love and Murkoff took advantage of that. Problem is, we did fall in love. And I've got to find him." Ash said making a sad smile. 

Miles looked completely taken back by her words. He was lost of his own. He didn't even know what to say. He instead made an exasperated look and heaved a sigh. "Oh, god, Ash. Jesus fucking Christ. What did you get yourself into? Simon is going to be pissed when he finds out." He grumbled now burying his face into his bloody hand. 

"Not as pissed as he's going to be when he finds out that I'm pregnant." Ash added with a grimace. 

Miles froze again with alarm before his eyes dropped down to her middle. "Please tell me you're joking." He said quietly. 

Slowly and with a sad smile, Ash shook her head as she placed a hand over her stomach. "Nope. You're going to be an uncle, Miles." She said softly. She flinched a little when two large hands slowly placed theirselves over hand, gently touching her. 

Both she and Miles looked up at the Twins, who now looked facinated. 

"Little sister?" 

"Baby?" 

Smiling, Ash placed her other hand over theirs, rubbing softly at their large hands. "Yeah. I'm going to have a baby, guys. You're going to be uncles too." She said softly. 

Both Twins, for the first time in front of Miles, smiled greatly, showing their crooked teeth. 

"Ugh, fuck." Miles grumbled before sharing a look with Ash. "Who's the father?" 

Again Ash grimaced as she knew he wasn't going to like it. She knew Simon was going to be pissed too. "My husband. Eddie Gluskin." She said softly. 

Again Miles looked at her in shock. "Eddie Fucking Gluskin?! You have got to be shitting me, Ash?! That man is a psychopath! He kills.....!" He was saying. 

Ash's eyes flashed angrily and she gently pushed the Twins' hands away as she raised a finger and poked Miles hard in the chest, making him flinch. "Shut up, Miles! Trust me! He didn't kill those women but one! He was forced to to kill her by the actual killers! His father and uncle, who used to fuck him and beat him! He was just a young man when those murders happened! He was just a boy! And he did kill the last eoman but he didn't want to!" She snapped.

Miles made an exasperated sound as he threw his hands up in his own defense. "Jesus Christ, Ash! Okay, okay!" He said now backing up a little but looked thoughtful at her. "You love him?" 

Ash huffed still irritated but nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself again. "I do. I love him so much now that it hurts to think something bad is happening to him. I have to find him." She said now weak again with heavy emotion. 

Miles sighed before nodding. "Okay. Let's go find him then. And let's get the fuck out of here." He said now reaching for her arm. 

He flinched when one of the Twins reached out and grabbed his wrist, almost yanking back violently. 

Ash quickly placed her hands on both of their arms; Miles' and Dresie's, since it had been him who grabbed the journalist. "Dresie, please!" She begged softly. 

Dresie shook his head as he looked at her but he did not let go of Miles, nor was he hurting him. "The priest. He needs to see the priest." He said blankly. 

"Oh, fuck that priest!" Miles suddenly snapped now yanking his arm free of the shorter twin's grip. "He has led me on a wild goose chase around this fucking place! Saying I'm his witness and all that shit! I have followed him all over the place! I've been smacked around by patients, been chased, I lost my fucking fingers, and there'sthis creepy ass black ghost that has been trying to kill me! I've had enough of his bullshit! I'm taking her and I'm going to get her fucking husband because she apparently isn't going to leave without him and we're getting the fuck out of here, away from all of you and Murkoff!" He snapped. 

Ash grabbed Miles' arm, giving him a light squeeze to calm him. "They're coming too, Miles." She said calmly. 

"What?! You have got to be kidding me?!" Miles exclaimed in exasperation, now looking at her like she was crazy. 

Ash smiled tightly at him but shook her head. "Nope. They're mine. All of them. I'm keeping them all. The Twins, Frank Manera, Father Martin, Eddie and whoever wants to get away from Murkoff." She said and received a look from him. 

"Heard my name!" Someone called out. 

Ash and the other three turned towards the new voice and she grinned when she saw a blood splattered Frank walking up with a large bone saw. She ignored the horrified choke from Miles as she rushed over to the Cannibal, who grinned as he caught her in his arms and hugged her. 

And then she grimaced looking him over. 

"Why the fuck are you naked?" Ash asked grimacing. 

Frank just grinned through his bloody mane of a beard. "Less messier if I'm naked." He stated. 

"You've been eating people, haven't you?" Ash asked bemused as she pulled away, ignoring that she was getting blood on her clothes. 

"Yep. Some pretty tasty Murkoff workers." Frank said before looking at Miles and grinning. "What about him? He a snack for me?" 

Miles choked now stepping back with a hint of fear. 

Ash laughed but shook her head. "No, Frank. Please. Don't eat him. He's my brother in law and my friend." She said laughing. 

Frank paused raising an eyebrow at her. "I thought you only had a brother?" He asked slowly. 

She winked at him, grinning. "I do." She said now wraggling her eyebrows at him and yet grinning like a chesire cat.

Frank made a face but snorted as he grinned back at her. "Ah, okay. I see. Didn't know Simon swung that way. That's new information for me. Okay, okay. I'll leave him be. But I ain't happy about it. I lost a pretty tasty morsel earlier. Ya ain't seen a cute little guy with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes dressed as a patient, have ya?" 

A jolt of surprise shot through Ash as she looked at him, her smile gone. She could only think of one person who looked like him. "Wait.....Waylon Park? You were trying to eat Waylon Park?" She asked stunned. 

Now Miles stepped forward, frowning. "That's the guy who emailed me. Where is he? I owe him a smack in the mouth for bringing me to this shithole, though I would have came anyway to bust her out." He stated. 

Frank shrugged as he looked from one to thenother but he was looking serious now. "Little Missy, if you want that one alive, ya better hurry back to your place then. Eddie's got him from what I found out from Dennis the Split Personality patient. And he's gonna kill him." He said firmly.

Ash felt her breath catch in her chest as her eyes widened. She now knew where Eddie was. "Eddie....." she whispered before turning to run. 

But Miles caught her arm, holdingnher back. "Hey, no, no, no! Forget it, Ash! We're getting out......!" He was saying. 

"Miles, please!" Ash begged with tears innher eyes as she tried to tug her arm free. "Please, let go. I have to help Eddie. Please." 

Miles looked pained but didn't let go. "Ash, he's dangerous....." he was saying. 

"I know. But I have to try. Go with the Twins. Talk to Father Martin. Please. We can meet in the main lobby in one hour. One hour! But please, please let me go." Ash begged tearfully. 

For a good long moment, Miles stood there, not letting go. But thennhe sighed and did. "One hour. That's it. If I have to come find you and I find you dead, Simon's gonna kill me and I'm going to be pissed at you. Go. Go get him. Bring Park too, that is if he's still alive. We'll all get out of here together." He said now shooing her. 

Smiling a watery smile, Ash turned and ran, leaving them all behind as she ran as fast as she could for home.


	21. Lacrimosa

The basketball court, according to her memory was not far from the main lobby and she remembered where it was the few times she had been lead and taken to and from where it was. 

So Ash didn't have that much of a problem of getting back once she knew where she was. 

The problem that laid before her was getting in and finding Eddie and hoping he wasn't too out of it that he would kill her. 

Because she did have to remember, while he did love her and he normally wouldn't hurt her, he had been in the morphogenetic engine and who really knew for how long. She didn't even know how long she had been in it or how long ago it had been. 

She hadn't even asked the Walrider how long she had been asleep after it took her somewhere safe for her to rest. 

As far as she knew, it had only been a few hours since she had been placed in the engine. 

But the damage.....all of the death that took place, the fact that Miles had been there at the Asylum and he said he had been running all night, it was clearly not a few hours ago that she had been resting. And she no real way of finding out how long she had been asleep. 

Not without asking the Walrider. She didn't know where it was. 

She had asked it to find Eddie an hour ago and it still hadn't come back to her with the answer. She knew it would have found out quickly and return to her so something else was going on at the same time that must have called its attention away from her inquiry about Eddie. 

But until it came looking for her, she had her answer so she had to follow her own lead to Eddie. 

He was home. 

But according to the Walrider and everyone else, he had completely lost it. 

And the only way of getting him to remember her was unavailable right now because her eyes were not the same. Her eyes, being green and gold had been what cleared Eddie's mind. 

But now they were black. 

So how was she supposed to get through to him? 

Ash didn't know what she was going to do but she knew she had to keep up her guard. Even if she loved him. He wouldn't forgive himself if he did hurt her because he couldn't find his peace of mind. 

Even if she would. 

Still, she needed to come up with a plan. 

She also needed to find Waylon Park and hope he wasn't dead, brutally killed and probably mutilated by Eddie. She knew needed to help Park so he could get back to his own family in one piece.....well alive, at least. 

Finding her way back into their space, Ash was careful and quiet as she crept through the halls. She knew she had to be very quiet as she didn't want to get caught by Eddie without at least knowing what his state of mind was.

She found her way in through an upper level of the basketball court that connected with the sewing rooms. She knew her way around by now while living here with Eddie. 

So she knew she wasn't very far from where they slept by still. 

It was creeping around the sewing rooms, she began frowning when she heard that stupid song playing. The song that she and Eddie playfully argued about. 

The record player was close by. 

Frowning, Ash followed the music past the sewing rooms when she noticed something up ahead. Something new that she didn't know about. 

There was a large cloth screen set up and there was a light on the other side, showing silhouettes of someone on the screen. 

Frowning, Ash went over to it, looking at the shadows before lookingnover to see that there was a way around it. She went over and turned the corner to look at what was on the other side. 

And gasped in horror and disgust at what she saw. 

There was a new set up there. A very gory one. 

Whatever had been in Eddie's mind when he set this up, it was enough to make Ash clap a hand over her mouth, feeling nauseous at the very sight. 

There was a table covered completely in blood. And on that table was a makeshift woman; not really a woman but a man had been completely mutilated. The body was propped up on the table, the legs tied with rope to be wide open while a severed head sat right between the man's legs as if it were a baby being pushed out of a woman's vagina. The pectorals of the man had been pulled and stretched out and even stuffed as if they were a woman's breasts.

Beside the table, another body of a man with his head covered with a cloth hung with his hands toed together and the other's hand tied to them, as if holding the mother's hand in the pain of labor.

A mocking of childbirth in some way.

It was enough to make Ash completely sick to her stomach that she couldn't hold it it. She spun from the sight and threw up in the corner, emptying out her stomach of bile, since there wasn't anything else to throw up. 

Gasping and choking on bile, Ash wiped her mouth before glancing weakly back at the display. She felt the nausea strengthen again but she swallowed hard and slowly approached the table, grimacing atnthe sight. 

What the hell had been in Eddie's mind when he had done this?

Shaking her head, Ash pushed past the gruesome sight and quickly walked on, trying to scrub the image out of her head. 

She didn't need to be reminded of it now by anyone. She didn't need to be told but she knew she was going to have to tread very carefully around her husband. She knew one wrong step with him would send him over the edge. He probably would hurt her.

Unfortunately, it got worse.

Because as she trailed away from that area and made her way down a hall she knew would lead her to the basketball court, she heard noises she didn't think she would like to hear. 

Ash walked to the end of the hall and peered into the court and her breath came out as a choke. 

She saw Eddie in the basketball court. 

If she didn't know better, she would have called to him. She would let him know she was there. She would let him know she was home and she wanted to be in his arms, being kissed and make love with him. 

But what he was doing, what he had done, made the words choke her. 

Eddie's back was to her as he was tying a noose around the neck of a dead body that she could see that had been mutilated. A patient who had his stomach cut open and his dangly bits cut off, leaving a gaping hole of pouring blood. 

He was tying the noose around the neck and then pulling the end of the rope down so the body would raise up. 

Ash's eyes followed the dead body where she had to slap her hands over her mouth to keep herself from crying out on shock. 

There were dead bodies hanging from the ceiling of the basketball court. At least a hundred dead bodies that had been mutilated horribly hanging from their necks and their feet. Some up right and some upside down.

But all of them....all of them were makeshift women.

Ash felt a sob rising out of her as her eyes watered and tears began trailing down her cheeks. She had to swallow hard as she pressed her hand harder against her mouth to keep her from making noise. 

She stiffened when she saw Eddie turning around and she ducked down low but still was able to look out at him as he was tying the rope to a big hook in the ground. 

She saw his face and her face went pure white in horror and shock. 

Eddie had been a very handsome man and it was still there for the most part. He once had a smooth, clean cut face with chizeled cheeks and a dimple in his chin when he smiled. He had been smooth, charming looking, even for someone unstable in mind. 

But now....while one side of his face remained untouched, still the handsome side, the other was badly scarred. 

It looked like he had been burned by chemicals completely on the right side of his face. He had scars from his forehead to his neck, creating creases that had not been there before. 

And Ash could see his eyes from where she was hidden. 

His cool blue eyes were still there but they obviously had hemorrhaged a little bit in the white. Some of the blood vessels of his must have burst because parts of the white were now blood red. 

Murkoff had destroyed him. 

Just like they had done to Simon. 

Ash found herself sobbing as quietly as she could when she saw Eddie. He was wearing his Groom outfit, which was splattered with blood and was quite dirty. Some of the blood looked fresh. 

He had probably killed that patient recently. 

A choke rose out of her again and she almost gapsed when she saw Eddie's head jerk up in her direction. She barely had time to duck down to the floor and curl up as hard as she could against the corner of the door and wall. 

She knew that she couldn't let him know she was there. 

Not yet. 

She stayed there for a good moment, listening hard. She heard his footsteps and they were coming closer to the door. She curled her legs tightly up to hernown body, balling herself up tight to press her mouth hard against her knee to stifle her now rapid breathing. 

Ash tilted her head upward only a little to look at the glass of the window and she did see Eddie there. He was lookingnout into the hall and all he had to do was look down to see her. 

Thankfully, he didn't look down. 

"Hm. I could have sworn I heard something." She heard him say and it made her heart weep. His voice had even changed a little bit. He now had a slight lisp to his words. He had once had such a clear, deep voice. 

Now it hissed a little bit as he spoke. 

For a moment, Ash sat there, digging her mouth into her knee until she almost tasted blood before she heard him now walking away. 

"I'm coming, Darling! Be there in but a moment! We will fix you right up in a moment! I'll make you beautiful!" Eddie had called to someone but it clearly wasn't her. 

And for the longest moment, Ash sat there, sobbing into her knees, tears soaking her cheeks. 

Honestly she had no idea what to do now. 

Everyone had been right. The Walrider, Frank, any who told her, who warned her. She knew Eddie had completely lost his mind. He was not the same Eddie Gluskin she remembered. 

Once it was completely quiet again, Ash drew her mouth back from her knee, whimpering as quietly as she could as the tears trailed down her cheeks. She couldn't believe this had happened. 

Her Eddie.....her husband was gone. 

Closing her eyes tightly to squeeze out the tears before roughly wiping them with the back of her hand, Ash shook her head. 

No. 

She refused to believe that. 

Ash refused to believe that Eddie was completely gone, replaced with that. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't allow it to take over. 

He had been crazy before she came along. 

There had to be some part of him still in there. He couldn't be completely gone. She just had to find a way to make the memories come back. She had to find a way to make him remember her. 

Looking up again, Ash carefully stood and looked out the window again, grimacing at the sight of all of the dead bodies. She tried to push the doors open but groaned silently when she found them locked. 

There had to be another way around. 

Looking around, she spied another hallway, though it was dark. She knew that was another way down to Eddie's room......their room. 

Her mind slipped to Waylon Park and she made a face. She needed to find Waylon. She needed to find him dead or alive but she needed to see where he was. She had to make sure if he was alive, she would help him escape before facing Eddie, herself. 

Exhaling shakily, Ash made her way down the hall. She had to be as quiet as she could and be very careful. She couldn't risk Eddie finding her without her having a solid plan of how she was going to jump start his memories of each other. 

Carefully walking down the hall, Ash moved. She recognized every bit of the space that belonged to them both.

Sticking mostly to the wall, Ash kept going until she found her way to a set of dark stairs. She knew their room was down there somewhere. She knew she had to be very......

It was then she heard screams, making her halt with a slight hitch in her breath. 

It was distant but close. 

If there was a man down here, screaming, it was more than likely that Eddie was preoccupied at the moment. He was probably mutilating a new victim down there. 

Breathing shakily, Ash crept down the stairs, listening to the screams of the man being tortured to death. She had fresh tears in her eyes as she went but she stuck close to the walls. 

Eventually it went quiet again as the screams turned gurgled and she ducked down under a table, curling up to stay there silently. 

Moments later, she heard the scraping of a body being dragged and she looked to see Eddie coming and he was dragging a fresh body of a mutilated man. She had to press her hands to her mouth again as she watched him go. 

Eddie was muttering to himself as he dragged the body. He didn't sound happy at all but angry. "Stupid fucking slut.....you're not right! You're ugly! Useless! Love is not for you!" He was muttering as he went past her and out of the room with the body. "Not right....not right....not right....." 

Again, Ash waited until she couldn't hear him before crawling on. She needed to find Waylon first before coming up with the plan of how she could work with Eddie's memory. 

Heart pounding, Ash decided to just remain on the floor, crawling slowly towards the way Eddie had come. She would have to look in their room. It seemed to be where he was doing all of the mutilations. 

However, heavy footsteps came back not too long after and she froze in place under a table. It had only been ten minutes of slow crawling across the room. 

But nonetheless, here he came again. 

Ash watched as Eddie walked by, still grumbling to himself as he practically pounded across the hall. She didn't move this time but sat there to listen hard. She could hear Eddie up ahead and heard thumps and groans. 

The sound of someone new was groaning as if he was out of it. Whoever he was, he wasn't coherent. 

"A silky smooth, like a little girl again. Now for the delicate bits." She heard Eddie saying to his fresh victim. 

And then screams, making Ash cringe and whimper so softly to herself as she once again pressed her hands into her mouth to keep herself from making noise. She cringed and choked back a silent cry as she heard flesh being cut into, even as the victim screamed in pain.

Tears once again trailing down her cheeks, she could only sit there and listen. She had to swallow bile again to keep herself from puking. It was making her sick to her stomach hearing all of this and even imagining it.

It felt like hours when it was only minutes before it went silent again.

And then, SLAM! 

Ash flinched as she heard Eddie slamming his fists down on a table and he sprouted out words of rage. She just sat there, her head ducked low between her shoulders, her heart now racing. 

"GOD DAMN IT, DARLING!! YOU'RE NOT RIGHT! YOU'RE NOT RIGHT AT ALL! WHY CAN'T YOU BE RIGHT?!" Eddie roared as he continued to slam his fists down and there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh before there was a thump of a body hitting the ground. "YOU'RE NOT MY DARLING!! YOU'RE NOT HER! YOU'RE A SLUT AND A WHORE! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE MY WIFE! THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD!" 

And once again, here he came, pounding his feet and dragging the body. 

Ash sat there with wide eyes as she watched Eddie storming down the room now, dragging the body like a sack of heavy potatoes, leaving a bloody trail behind him. 

For a good long moment, Ash sat there with her heart hammering as thoughts suddenly raced through her mind. 

The victims.....the bodies......they weren't.....right? 

That's what he kept saying as he mutilated them. He thought they weren't right. He didn't like them because they weren't right. 

Who were the victims supposed to be if they weren't right? 

Was it possible......that they weren't her that didn't make them right? They didn't look like her? They weren't women? 

What? 

As soon as it was quiet again, Ash began crawling across the floor until she did find the room. She was listening for Eddie's angry stomping feet but she reached the room and peered in. 

Again, her heart fell. 

The room was completely different now. 

Their bed.....well, their mattress was gone, the room made bigger for more work to be done. A bloody table sat in the middle of the room with a saw attached to it. It was a wood shop table but covered in blood. 

There were meat hooks now hanging from the wooden beams above, some unfortunately with body parts hanging on them. 

And there was a large metal locker up against the wall and it did sound like someone was in it. She could unsteady breathing coming from it. It was something out of place and it made her frown. 

And then she heard the stomping of feet. 

Silently gasping, Ash dived into the room and under the large table with the saw, curling up nearest to the wall. She had to curl herself up tightly and hoping that Eddie wouldn't look under it when he came back in the room. She just balled herself up in a corner and prayed to Father Martin's God that he wouldn't discover her. 

And sure enough, Eddie came back into the room with a thunderous look on his face as he entered. He did not look towards the table or under it but turned and went straight past it, where she heard a groan. 

Ash was able to watch it this time and she instantly regretted it. 

Eddie had another victim in the room. 

She could barely see what was happening beyond the debries that were just lying around but she saw her husband grabbing a naked man off another table in the next room, lifting him up over his shoulder like a sack and carried him back into the room. 

Ash had to really force herself not to cry out when she heard Eddie practically toss the man onto the table. The body hit the top pretty hard, making her flinch. 

But nonetheless, Eddie was in reach of her. She was staring at his black pants that he wore. She could reach out and just touch him but refrained herself from doing so. 

She didn't know what he was doing up there but she listened. 

For a good long moment, Eddie stood next to the table, shifting his feet a bit as he seemed to examine his latest victim. He was looking him over, even forcing him to turn this way and that. 

And then he growled viciously before snarling and swinging a fist at the man on the table. 

The hit the man took made Ash flinch as Eddie began hitting his victim. He began slapping and punching at him, who suddenly woke up and began crying out in pain. 

There was another thump as Eddie forced the man to turn on the table. 

The way the man landed almost sent him toppling off the table, hanging over the edge. His head hanging over the edge where he just looked dazedly right at Ash. 

Sucking in a breath, Ash looked right back at him with wide eyes and clenching her teeth and lips as she felt her heart pounding. 

The man looked at her and even looked confused for a moment at what he was seeing before he was yanked back upright on the table. He was forced to his hands and knees.

Suddenly, the screaming of the saw began, making Ash flinch and cringe. It was right above her head and she ducked down low because it was not that far away from her. 

"You've given up. You're ugly and you've given up on love. You're not even worth stringing up. Bleed here... and die." Eddie suddenly said before he roughly grabbed the man and shoved his face into the saw. 

Ash had to fight back any noise as she felt blood now raining down on her head and she closed her eyes to keep it from getting into them. She bit her tongue to keep herself from crying out until she tasted blood in her mouth. 

The man was dying right above her and all she could do was soak up the blood. 

And then the saw turned off and Eddie roughly grabbed the body and dragged it right off the table with a loud thump. 

Again, he was muttering angrily as he left with his latest victim. 

Ash sat there, grimacing as she was now soaked in fresh, hot blood, tears trailing down her cheeks. She let out a shuddering breath as she heard Eddie's voice fade away as he stormed off to dispose of the body. 

Once he was gone, she let out the shaking breath she had been holding. "Oh, Eddie....." she whimpered out. 

"He-hey....." she heard a weak voice call out and there was a slight echo. 

Jumping at the sound of someone's voice, Ash looked towards the locker and saw someone peering out. She gasped softly when she saw those familiar eyes before she was quietly scrambling to get out from under the table. 

She tried very hard to remain quiet but she went over to the locker and sure enough, there was a hole big enough to see his face. 

Waylon Park was inside the locker.

"Waylon," Ash whispered. 

Waylon Park looked out at her with sleepy eyes that squinted a little as he tried to see her clearly. He looked so tired as he stood in the locker, trapped. "Hey.....I know....you....." he muttered sleepily. 

Ash looked down at the handle before grimacing when she a lock on it. She couldn't even open it at all to free Waylon. Not without a key. She looked back at Waylon, whose head thumped back and he slud down again. "Waylon?" She whispered as she tried to peer in. 

She could barely see him but he was out cold again. She knew that Eddie must have drugged him or something. 

At least she knew where he was now. Problem was, how to get him out. 

But before she could even think about it, she heard foot steps and it made her body jolt as she scrambled for the table again, ducking back down under it. 

It was just in time too because as soon as she sat down and curled up tightly, Eddie came in the room, muttering angrily to himself. 

"Still not right.....why the fuck can't they be right....." he frowled before going over to the locker and looking intonit. He hummed, almost sounding annoyed but at the same time pleased. "Your turn, Darling....you're going to be so beautiful......" he muttered before turning and going into the next room for something. 

Ash grimaced painfully as she looked at the locker. 'No, no, no. Waylon, wake up, you idiot. He's going to kill you next.' She thought painfully. 

She had to do something to help him. Anything! 

Suddenly, Eddie was coming back and he was carrying pallets of wood. He placed them on the table before reaching over for some rope that he had on a stool next to the table. 

Ash just sat there, silently watching as he began tying the pallets to the sides of the table, building something onto the table. 

Whatever it was, it was rocking a little bit. 

It was almost painful to just sit there and watch him as he worked. But what could she do? 

If she showed herself to him, she was probably dead.

But after a while, Eddie seemed finished working because he made a sound of satisfaction before grabbing the table and lifting it up on one side. 

Ash froze in horror as she watched him now turning the table around and she had to get on her knees to move right with the table as Eddie moved it. She made a painful face as she had to keep her eyes on Eddie's legs as he would stop and shift the table until it was completely turned around. 

She swallowed hard as she watched him move back towards the end of the table and she slowly lowered herself back into place where she sat before. 

Eyes trained on Eddie's legs, she watched him move towards the locker, now digging into his pocket for something jingling and her breath caught in her throat as soon as she saw the ring of keys. 

He had keys. 

Eddie was opening the locker up and caught Waylon as he started to fall out. "Oh, careful, Darling. You are such a clumsy girl." He said now chuckling before he picked up Waylon and moved him towards the table, now setting him down on it. 

Ash swallowed an extremely hard lump in her throat as she watched her husband begin stripping the Murkoff I.T specialist down of his clothes, tossing them to the side. 

And then, Eddie shifted around the table, now tying Waylon's arms and legs to the pallet. 

Ash grimaced painfully as she knew what was about to happen. She knew what was going to happen to Waylon. His legs were being tied spread a part and the saw was between them. 

'Oh, my god. Waylon!' She thought frantically as she tried so hard to make herself move. She had to stop this. She had to move! 

She couldn't though. 

She was terrified of moving. 

'Oh my god.' She thought again as she watched Eddie now back away to admire his work. 

Waylon was groaning now as he began waking up again. His breathing becoming rapid as he began waking up and realizing where he was.

Ash had tears again as she heard the terrified whimper of the man above her. She saw Eddie move over to the table and reach over the pallet, touching Waylon's leg. 

"You have amazing bone structure. Such soft skin. You're going to be beautiful." Eddie spoke with a purr in his voice and he shifted his feet, obviously looking at Waylon, who was now breathing hard in fear. 

"A woman... has to suffer some things. It's not pleasant, I know. But just try to... endure. For my sake. For the sake of our children." Eddie continued to speak as he shifted his feet again. "It won't take long. A few snips of the flesh here, and here. Cut away everything.... vulgar. A soft place to welcome my seed. To grow our family.The incision will hurt. And the conception. And birthing is never easy." 

Ash made a face as she found herself now shifting silently to her knees. She could not let this happen. She was terrified but she had to help Waylon. 

Eddie moved to the end of the table now, grabbing whatever he had done and rocked it. It sounded like a cradle now and Waylon's breathing began picking up faster as the fear began overwhelming him. 

The saw was turned on and Waylon whimpered in terror.

"I'll make the cut fast. Just close your eyes and think of our children." Eddie said now moving the wooden cradle and the shrieking of the saw began picking up louder. It was cutting into wood now and soon flesh if something wasn't done about it.

Waylon cried out now completely terrified. He was going to get cut and it didn't take Ash long to figure out where. 

All she knew was she now moved fast, rolling out from under the table while Eddie was distracted with what he was about to do. She knew this was stupid but she couldn't let him do this to Waylon. 

Eddie didn't notice her at first as she popped up from under the table. He was too busy looking down at the saw and Waylon's dick, getting ready to cut it into two. 

"Sorry, love. You'll forgive me later. I hope." Ash found herself mutter before she balled up a fist and swung hard. 

Her fist collided with the side of Eddie's face, making him yell out in shock and rage before he was turning to face her with a snarl etched on it. 

Ash was turning to run though. She had to try and lead him away from Waylon, due to she barely noticed that her hit to Eddie's face not only got his attention but it broke the wooden pallets making it easier for Waylon to just break it and free himself. 

She took two steps before gasping when she felt a painful grip on her shoulder and she found herself spinning as Eddie swung her around and throw her practically against the wall. 

Gasping in pain as she now found herself pinned, Ash saw Waylon breaking out of the contraption that Eddie had built and he was swinging down onto the floor. 

But that was now the least of her worries as she looked right up at Eddie, who was snarling in her face as his hand found her neck and was now squeezing. She gasped as she looked right up at him with fear. 

"Eddie! Stop! Stop! Please, stop! It's me!" Ash gasped as some air was cut off. 

He did freeze though as he realized just what he was pinning to the wall. He stopped from choking her but didn't relent his grip on her. He pinned her almost painfully against the wall and stared at her in surprise. 

From over his shoulder, Waylon had been grabbing his clothes and pulling them on while painfully looking at her. He looked at her, surprised as he recognized her. His expression soon changed to painful regret. 

He wanted to help her but he was also terrified of getting Eddie's attention back on him. 

Ash slowly shook her head as she looked at him before mouthing to him, "Go. Run. Just go." She whispered. 

Waylon gave her a painful look but he turned and limped ran from the room, leaving her to be pinned to the wall by Eddie. 

She was now at Eddie's mercy.


	22. Until Death Do Us Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning:  
> Slight aggressive sexual content, somewhat non-con

It was a good moment of just staring at each other. 

Eddie didn't even notice that his other "Darling" had made his escape. He didn't notice or even care because this "Darling" looked a whole lot different from all of the other "women". 

This one.....this one actually looked like a woman. 

Ash remained pinned against the wall, her heart racing as she couldn't move. It wasn't just that she had been pinned and there was a hand on her throat but she couldn't find the will to try and stop him. 

She was pinned by his manical stare as well. 

There was no recognition in his eyes at all. There was a crazed look, one she had seen before whennshe first met Eddie that horrible night when she had been caught. 

His eyes were not focused at all and they were crazed. 

She also also became aware of a hissing starting to build up in her head and she could almost feel something moving in her belly. 

She remembered it now. 

There was still a part of the Walrider inside of her. She remembered that there was still a small portion of the swarm, surrounding her womb to protect the developing baby. 

And it felt like it was waking up from protecting the baby. 

It was hissing and snarling and she could feel and hear it. It was calling out to the rest of the swarm. It was calling to the Walrider that she was in danger. 

She was in danger. 

And that made her breath became unsteady as she reached up and grasped Eddie's wrist, which his hand tightened in warning aginst her throat, now cutting off her air again. 

"Ed-Eddie.....please.....do-don't...." Ash gasped out as her throat was starting to be tightened, making it harder to breathe. 

"Darling," Eddie spoke now grinning as he looked her over. "You are quite the stunning one! Could you be the one! Yes! Yes! You must be my Darling!" 

Ash was trembling against him, her air still cut off a little bit. She didn't think he sounded himself at all. He didn't recognize her and the memories weren't there. She knew this was very dangerous waters she was treading. 

"Ed-Eddie, you're hurting me." She whimpered. 

Immediately, Eddie released her throat, making an almost sheepish sound but he didn't let her arm go but gripped them with both hands, rather tightly though. "Oh, I am so sorry, Darling! I didn't mean to hurt you!" He said and he almost sounded mocking. "But you know how a man gets when he meets a woman!" His vouce rasped a little and a dangerous tone began seeping out as his eyes darkened. "Especially if they run away like a whore." 

Ash swallowed hard. She heard the warning in his voice as she curled in a little by the glare he was now wearing. "I wo-won't run away. I promise." She said the fear in her voice. 

And she lifted a shaking hand up in between them, extending her pinky to him. She hoped that would be the one to make him remember. 

But instead, Eddie glanced down at her hand, frowning only slightly but no recognition at all. And then he stepped back, releasing one arm but still not letting go of the other. 

"Come now, Darling! We must prepare you!" 

Ash yelped as she was yanked from the wall and now being moved towards the bloody table, which made her dig her feet into the ground in growing fear. She really hoped he wasn't convinced she was a man and he would mutilate her to make her a woman. 

Eddie felt her try and tug him to a stop and he growled as he turned back towards her. He was starting to look angry for her tryi g to stop him. 

"Uh! My love, that won't be necessary! I'm already.....I already have been adjusted to your needs! I don't need to be fixed!" Ash said quickly as she quickly grabbed her jacket zipper and zipped it down a little bit so he could see the tops of her breasts. 

Eddie paused as he looked down at her breasts before growling anyway and pushing her sharply against the wall again with a painful thud. "Whore! Do not be so vulgar!" He growled as he pinned her again ignoring her whimper of pain and fear. "We have not been wedded yet, so it would not be proper for me to see you indecent yet. No matter how tempting it may be." His voice softening as his mood switched so suddenly.

'Okay, so he might be a little bipolar.' Ash thought to herself weakly. 

But instead, she raised her left hand, showing it to him that she wore his mother's wedding ring. The ring he gave her when they were forced to be married. 

"Eddie, don't you remember, my love? We're already married." She said weakly. 

A look of confusion came over Eddie's face as he looked at the gold ring on her finger. There was only a brief hint of recognition as he now switched his attention to his left hand, which was covered in a fingerless glove.

Releasing Ash and stepping back, while also shooting her a look of warning to not move, Eddie grabbed at his left glove and pulled it off. His eyes lit up when he saw the matching gold ring on his own wedding finger.

"What......?" Eddie murmured now surprised. His eyes narrowed as he stared at his ring before his brow scrunched up in frustration and confusion. "How did I not notice this?" He looked sharply at Ash's hand. "We're married......? How do I not remember being married to a stunning girl like yourself?"

Ash made a face as she tried to think quickly. She didn't think telling him right off the bat that Murkoff made him forget his own wedding would be a swell idea. He already seemed emotionally unstable as it was. So he might get angry about it. 

"Well, um, you had a little bit of an accident, dear. And you hit your head. The doctor said it might take a little time for you to remember certain things." She told him, not exactly lying. 

In a way, it was true. She just had to find the right method of making him remember. Her pinky promise thing didn't work and showing him that they were married wasn't working. 

So what else was there? 

Either way, a wide grin spread out on Eddie's face before he snatched her arm and yanked her into his arms, squishing her into him with a slight yelp. "Married! I don't remember but it must have been the most happiest occassion! I am finally a wedded man to such a beautiful girl!" 

That made Ash faintly smile to be back into his arms, though she couldn't tell him at the moment that neither of them had been happy during their wedding until that night.

But then she squawked when she felt his somewhat large hand grab her ass and squeeze. 

She looked up at him with wide eyes as he grinned quite lecherously at her before he began pressing his thighs into hers, causing friction. 

"If we're married, then we must get started on creating our new family! Let me fill you up, Darling, and plant my seeds of love to grow our children." Eddie now spoke with a husky. 

Ash squeaked but tried to push him back a little bit. She would love to make love with him but not like this. Not when he couldn't remember her. She knew he couldn't remember her. 

His eyes were not focused. They were not the same. 

Plus they didn't have time. 

Miles would probably come looking for her and the hour was almost up. She had to make Eddie see clearly before then. Because if she didn't, and Miles came looking, it was more than likely Eddie would snap and try to kill him. 

She really did not want to choose between her husband and her brother's husband to stand for. 

"Ed-Eddie, um.....please....not yet. We....uh....." she stammered for something to say. 

A growl escaped him as Eddie wrapped his arms around her too tightly now, making her whimper as his strength was beginning to squeeze the air out of her again. 

"There better not be someone else, My Darling wife." He growled in warning. 

Ash looked up at him nervously as she tried to wriggle away. "Of course not, Eddie! I love you! Only you! But....it's not proper. This place, it's not the....right place!" She said now afraid as he began looking angry. 

The anger vanished almost immediately as he glanced around before releasing her but snatching her wrist tightly. "Ah, yes! You're right, Darling! This room is much too dirty!" He said too brightly before dragging her towards the next room, where it was much cleaner and there was the mattress she had remembered. 

He had simply moved it. 

And it was there, he pushed her towards, grinning as he backed her towards it. 

Of course, as she was being backed away, Eddie grabbed the backpack on her back and yanked it off, tossing it to the side before reaching for her jacket. 

Ash gasped softly as she tried to back away but ended up tripping on the mattress and falling into her back. She yelped as she went down but gasped again when Eddie was pouncing on her, grabbing her jacket and unzipping it to reveal she wore no shirt. 

"Ooh, Darling. You're much too excited for this. A gift to me to unwrap." Eddie said huskily as he went for her pants next. 

"Ed-Eddie......" Ash whimpered trying to scramble back but his weight on her pinned her down as he straddled her. "Ple-please......" she whimpered. 

He seemed to mistaken her plea as encouragement to go on as he began unbuckling her belt and pulling it from her waist. He grabbed at her buttons and undid them with such speed she was left whimpering either way as she pressed herself back into the mattress to find some way of sliding out from him without having to get physical with him. 

Somehow she didn't think he would take to physical rejection too well at the moment. 

But nonetheless, it really didn't help that her body was betraying her as she felt him undoing her pants and pulling them open to reveal the small hairs she had in between her thighs. 

"Darling, you are unbelievably lovely." Eddie husked as henbegan grabbing at her pants to pull them down. 

"Eddie, stop! Please!" Ash blurted out as she made to push him away.

Seemed to be a mistake because he growled before roughly grabbing her wrists and slam them down beside her head, ignoring her yelp.

"Are we married or not, Darling?!" Eddie snarled into her face as he pinned her down. "Is this not what we do when we marry?! Do you not want me as husband?! Choose your words carefully, my dear wife! Or you might hang like the rest of the whores that has come to me! And ran away like the ungrateful sluts they were!" 

Ash flinched but stopped fighting against him as she pressed herself into the mattress. She couldn't help it but she was now terrified. 

One wrong move and he would kill her, even if he wouldn't mean to.

"I'm.....sorry......I'm just.....nervous." she whimpered out. 

Eddie's mood changed again and he looked gentle again as he released one of her wrists and gently touched her face with a hand. "Oh, that's right. You are untouched. We must have not consummated our love yet. Do not worry, Darling. It will only hurt for just a moment. But I promise. I will make it feel good as soon as I have, as they say, popped your cherry." He said saucily winking at her before he returned to grabbing her pants and sliding them to reveal her womanhood. 

Ash let him this time, too afraid of trying to stop him again. She knew if she did try, he would hurt her this time. 

So maybe, just maybe letting him take her would jump start his memories. 

He was going to be angry with himself when he realized what he was doing to her. But at this point, she would clean up the mess later. She would fix it with him.

And if Miles showed up, looking for her, she would have to find some way of soothing his rage before he killed her brother in law. 

She just hoped that Miles would wait longer when the hour was up. 

"Ah, my love's arbor......such beauty." Eddie groaned at the sight of her as he reached down and began unbuckling his own belt. 

Ash began heaving her breath quickly as she just laidnthere, watching him as he undid his belt and zipper, now reaching in for himself. Her body was starting to warm quickly as she felt her hormones going wild. 

"Ed-Eddie....." she whimpered as he pulled himself out and started giving it a few quick pumps to stiffen himself. 

"Remember. It will only hurt for just a moment, Darling." Eddie said his own breathing picking up in excitement before he began covering her, pushing her thighs open wider to accommodate himself as he pressed into her entrance.

Ash whimpered, as she felt him now pushing in, her head tossing back and her thighs now starting to arch up as he slowly sank in. 

Eddie groaned as he pushed himself into her, sinking into that warmth that swallowed him until he was at the hilt. He again, however, grabbed her wrist with his free hand, pinning it down beside her head. 

Ash laid now flush under him as she felt stretched from his intrusion before moaning softly as he pulled back out to the edge. 

"You look lovely, Darling." Eddie panted as he readied himself and then bent down to kiss her, which she did return before snapping his hips forward and hard. 

It couldn't be helped that Ash screamed as she felt a shot of pleasure rush through her as he began thrusting in and out of her. Her scream was swallowed by his as he began moving rather fast and hard, rocking her body against the mattress.

He groaned into her own mouth as his hips jerked hard into her, sliding out and sinking in sharply. He was gripping her wrists tightly now, making her wince in pain. 

But her eyes screwed tightly as she felt herself rocking back into him, moaning as he kissed her harder as well as jack hammered her. 

And then he was suddenly halting, jerking her up right with a yelp as he grabbed at the jacket, yanking it off of her and throwing it to the side. He slid out for only a second to flip her onto her stomach and then grasped her hips, lifing them up before sinking hard and fast back into her. 

He began hitting angles that made Ash just gasped as her face was pressed into the mattress. She felt erotic heat just starting to rise in her belly that left her panting as he thrust hard into her from behind. 

His fingers soon grasped her hair and his other arm lift her up to her hands, forcing her head back as he pounded her. 

A hand now cupping her breast and squeezing in time with his thrusts. 

Nonetheless, Ash couldn't deny that it felt good to feel him inside of her, pounding into her. She moaned and whimpered softly as his flesh hit hers with loud slaps. 

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie......" she couldn't help but cry as he kept jerking his hips into hers. "Oh, oh, oh!" 

Eddie groaned louder and louder as he slammed into her from behind. He felt her inner walls tightened around him making him really push it until he was doing long, sharp strides along her inside. 

Ash felt him slowing a little before speeding up but it felt so good. She whimpered and cried as he continued to thrust in and out until she felt the hot wire of pleasure shoot through her, making her scream. 

"Da-Darling!" Eddie cried out as he slammed his hips against hers with a loud slap and he felt his load ejaculate hard into her, making his hips tremble against hers. 

And then they both collapsed, panting hard in time with one another.

"Da-Darling......" Eddie panted as henlaud on top of her. 

Ash heaved a breath, groaning under his weight and still being inside of her. She was so out of breath from that that she wanted to sleep now. She just wanted to curl up in his arms and fall asleep. 

But she knew.....she couldn't. 

"Darling......" Eddie panted now shifting a little before slowly rocking again. 

"Eddie......st.....stop......" Ash started to beg. She couldn't let him do it again. She had to know if this what worked. 

"Yo-you know.....I can't recall your name.....remind me, Darling." Eddie panted as he began rocking his hips again for another round. 

Oh, that stung bad. 

It, in fact, put a fury through Ash that her eyes flashed as she shifted her hands under her before bucking hard to dislodge him. 

It worked as it had startled him to backing out. 

Ash sat up as he backed up and turned around onto her butt and glaring up at him, seeing quite a startled look actually. "Are you fucking kidding me?! That didn't work either?!" She snapped and even he had to back off. 

Scoffing loudly, she shook her head as she rolled off the mattress and began grabbing her clothes. 

"Darling, what are you doing?" Eddie began growling as he immediately pushed himself up and now doing up his pants again. 

"Ashton! My name is Ashton Peacock Gluskin, Eddie!" Ash suddenly snapped asking him step back looking bewildered. "We married a week ago because of Jeremy Blaire being a complete asshole and forced us to! Except he didn't count on us to actually fall in love with each other! He put you in the fucking morphogenetic engine because he's a sadistic prick! So now you don't even remember anything and now I'm finding it so fucking hard to try and make you remember me!" She snarled now pulling on her clothes.

"So....there is another man." Eddie began growling his eyes flashing. "You.....lying, cheating bitch......!" 

Ash whirled around, her black eyes flashing dangerous as she met his fury with her own. "Do not call me that, Eddie! I do fucking love you! And if you were clear headed, you would be pissed at yourself for even saying that to me!" She then looked down at her belky and lightly slapped it. "You! I know you're in there! Walrider, get the fuck out here! Now!" 

There was almost a dumb awkward silence. 

Eddie was stunned into silence.

But Ash did start to hear a gentle buzzing in her head and she lightly slapped her belly again. "Now, Walrider! I want to talk to you! I know you're trying to protect mine and Eddie's baby! But we need to talk!" She snapped. 

Another buzzing surfaced in her head before she felt a humming in her ears. 

'Host.....us need to stay dormant for time being.' She heard many voices in her head. 

"No, you need to help me out here! I don't know what to do! How am I supposed to make him remember?!" Ash snapped down at her belly. 

"Crazy bitch......" she heard Eddie muttered. 

"Oh, shut up, Eddie! I'm not the one who just slaughtered over a hundred guys because they weren't me!" Ash snapped in his direction. She knew there was going to be a penalty for that one but right now, she was pissed. 

Again, she lightly slapped her belly. 

"Walrider, I'm going to revoke your protection act over my baby! Tell me how to help him!" She snapped again. 

'Cannot. Mind unstable. Broken' The piece of the Walrider said to her. 

"No shit!" Ash grumbled before foldingnher arms. "There has to be a way, Walrider! He cannot be completely gone! Simon went through the same shit! His mind was broken when he came home andnyeah, it took a year to get him back and sure, he's not the same! But he at least remembers!" 

There was a silence as the buzzing got louder in her head before the humming began again. 

'Sing.' The voices said. 

Ash froze in surprise as she heard the word. She was stunned for a second before she hissed when she remembered Eddie's own words of the night they married and confessed that they loved each other. 

He fell in love with her when she sang her song. 

"Oh," Ash said before turning to look at Eddie, who was staring at her in ridicule. He looked like he was having second thoughts about her now. He looked torn between just backing away or just hitting her and probably hanging her with the rest of his victims. 

The song......that was something she hadn't tried yet. 

A slow breath exhaled from her before she turned to face him. 

"Darling, I do not like your vulgarity. You have quite the mouth on you....." Eddie was growling.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree. They strung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met at midnight, in the hanging tree." Ash began to sing as she faced him. 

Eddie froze, looking at her like she was the crazy one. He even tilted his head with his brow scrunched up in confusion. 

But she continued to sing.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree. Where dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if we met at midnight, In the hanging tree.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree, where I told you to run, so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here, No stranger would it be, if we met at midnight, in the hanging tree." Ash sang now stepping towards him and he stepped back, looking quite surprised. 

But, his eyes were strange. 

They were focusing on her face.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree. Wear a necklace of hope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." Ash sang to him as she backed him into a wall and then slowly reached up to touch the side of his face. 

Eddie began to look horrified and yet facinated at the same time as his eyes sharpened on her face.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree. Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if we met at midnight, in the hanging tree." She gently touchednhis scarred side of his face, rubbing her thumb against his cheek. 

There were now tears in his eyes as he looked right into her eyes. 

And what she didn't know was the black in her eyes began fading away, turning green and gold. 

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree. Where they strung up a man, They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be, if we met at midnight, in the hanging tree." Ash sang softly a slow smile on her face now as she locked eyes with him. 

She saw his eyes focus right on hers. 

She continued to sing but then stopped suddenly as he began singing right back to her as his own hand reached up and cupped her cheek. 

It was her turn to look surprised.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree. Where dead man called out, for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, No stranger would it be. If we met at midnight, in the hanging tree." Eddie finished her song for her. 

Andnhe looked pained as he jerked his hand back and collided with the wall. 

"Oh, my god. Ashton, I am so sorry." Eddie said now completely in pain before he sank down to his knees right in front of her. 

Tears sprang to her eyes as Ash felt a watery smile form on her face before she swooped down and wrapped her arms arpund him, even as he tried to jerk back.

"Pl-please don't.....! Don't, Ash! I'm unstable.....I hurt you...." Eddie said weakly now trying to get away from her. 

But she refused to let go of him. 

Ash drew him against her chest, where he practically laid right in her lap and they both sobbed together. She was not going to let him get away from her. 

Not when he was hurting for what he had done to her. 

She just held him tight to herself.


	23. Escape Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter

For a good long moment, both of them just sat there, crying together. They were shaking and just crying. 

But Ash wouldn't let go of Eddie until he finally calmed, now pulling away to look up at her from laying on her lap. He just laid there, looking up at her with tear stains down his cheeks. 

"You should have just left me." He practically croaked. 

Running her fingers through his black hair in a soothing manner, Ash shook her head as she smiled faintly at him. "You would have gone beserk if I did. And I'm not leaving you behind. I love you, Eddie." She said softly. 

Eddie turned his face slightly in her lap and pressed it into her stomach. He paused before looking up at her again. "You said....the Walrider.....it's inside of you?" He asked and his eyes widened as he shot up now, turning to look at her. "Protecting.....what?" 

Smiling faintly, Ash nodded as she placed her hand over her belly. "Protecting our baby, Ed." She said softly. 

He was stunned as he looked at her and then down at her belly before slowly and with a shaky hand, placed it over hers. "I'm....I'm going to....be...." he stammered. 

"A daddy. That's right. Which is why I'm not leaving you behind." Ash said as she placed her other hand over his and locked her fingers around his. She met his stunned gaze. "Eddie, you've had people leave you behind. You've been hurt so many times that it snapped your mind. Sure, you're unstable. But I'm not leaving you. I'm going to fix you. I love you. And people who love each other don't leave those they love behind." 

There were fresh tears in his eyes but Eddie swooped up and kissed her and she grasped the back of his head, kissing him back. 

After a moment, they pulled away, forheads still pressed to one another's. 

His eyes met hers. 

"I might be a hand full. A danger to you and our baby, Ash." He tried again to change her mind. 

Ash shook her head smiling. "I can handle you, Eddie. And if I can't, you'll probably just get your ass kicked by Simon, at least." She said now amused.

That made Eddie crack a smile at her before he was pushing himself to his feet and he offered his hands to her, which she gave and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "I think I can live with that." He told her. 

Ash smiled as she stood and locked hands with him. She made a grimace as she looked apologetic. "I said something pretty mean. About you killing all of those men. I'm sorry." She said regretfully. 

Eddie merely glanced over his shoulder towards the direction of the bloody table in the other room. "No, I deserved that. I wasn't right in my mind. And it was true. I killed all of those men because they weren't right. They weren't you. I think you were still back there, in the very back of my mind." He stated as he held her hand gently. 

Giving his hand a light squeeze, Ash pulled at him to follow her and was all too happy when he allowed her to lead. She was just happy that she had the real him back. She knew it was going to be a lot of work, getting his mind stable but she knew it was worth it. 

Going through their space, ignoring all of the blood trails that had been from victims, Ash and Eddie walked until they came to the basketball court. 

There, they had to stop with looks of surprise when they saw who was still there, waiting for them.

Red faced and quite sheepish, Waylon Park looked nervously at them both and even cringed a little when he saw Eddie. 

Eddie growled and his free hand reached behind his back for his knife as he started forward. 

But Ash slapped a hand over his hand from grabbing the knife she knew he had and held it firmly in place. "Uh, uh! Nope! Eddie, stop. It's okay. I know him. And you're to say sorry that you terrorized him. He's not like the others." She said keeping a firm hand over his.

Eddie gave her quite the look and she returned it with a raise of her eyebrows and a firm look. But after a second of getting a stink eye from her, he let go of his knife and dropped his hand at his side as he looked back at Waylon. 

"I apologize for my behavior. I.....was not myself." He finally said. 

Waylon just eyed him uneasily but looked at Ash as she nodded to him. "Uh.....okay. I can't say I forgive you just yet. But....it's cool, I guess." He said still quite afraid of Eddie.

"What are you still doing here? I told you to run." Ash said frowning as she and Eddie approached Waylon but stopped when he shifted back still eyeing the other man nervously. 

Waylon shook his head as he kept an eye on Eddie. "I circled around and came back. I didn't....want to leave you behind. If I could have....helped you, I intended to. Problem was.....didn't sound like he was hurting you." He added with a sheepish tone and even rubbed the back of his now very red neck. 

Ash couldn't help but giggle in amusement as she saw even Eddie's face turn red as both men now couldn't even look at each other. "Ah, heard our romp, did you?" She laughed out right when Waylon's face turned brighter red and so did Eddie's. "Thanks, Waylon. But I got this." She then looked him over and eyed his bloody leg. "You okay?" 

Waylon looked down, grimacing in some pain but nodded. "Yeah, uh, it's been stitched up. I think....he stitched my leg up while I was unconscious in the locker. This was caused by stupidly jumping into an elevator shaft, thinking the ladder wasn't corroded. Of course, I was running away at the time." He added with a pointed look at Eddie. 

Eddie growled but recieved a nudge in his gut for it by Ash. "Sorry." He grumbled. 

"Okay, well, let's get out of here. We have help coming. Most of all Murkoff is dead and unless they send a new tactical team to finish us off, we are getting out." Ash said though pausing when she looked at both men. "Um, I do have to mention that some patients are coming with us. Waylon, I know you've had a run in with some of them. But I swear, none of them will hurt you. I'll make sure of it. I'll be keeping them all in line." She tried to sound reassuring. 

Waylon cringed as she eyed her. "Who?" He asked nervously. 

"Well, obviously Eddie. Um the Twins, Father Martin, ....Frank the Cannibal." Ash said slowly. 

That really made Waylon cringe into himself and he looked at her as if in pain. "That one tried to eat me. He put me in a cremation chamber." He said fearfully. 

"Waylon, just.....trust me. He won't do it again. They....listen to me. I promise. Frank was.....more....I don't even know. I think he found you running away more entertaining than him being hungry for your flesh. He will chill out. They all will." Ash told him. 

Waylon looked even more terrified. He didn't believe her. 

Eddie, on the other hand, sighed as he wrapped an arm around Ash's waist. "I'll protect him, Darling. I know that's not much coming from me since I did try to hurt him too. But if Frank shows any interest in eating him, I'll stop him." He told her. 

Ash just nodded as she smiled faintly up at him. She looked at Waylon. "One other thing. The reporter you sent for, my friend, Miles, he's here. I saw him with my own eyes. And knowing if he's here, my brother is right behind him. No way in Hell Simon would ever let Miles go anywhere without him at least close by." She told them both.

Eddie frowned only slightly as he looked down at her. "Who is Miles?" He asked not liking it. 

Ash lightly slapped his chest. "Chill." She warned playfully. "Miles is my friend from VIRALeaks. We did...date once. But his tastes are for dingdongs only. He asked me out once just because of Simon. He dated me only to get close to Simon. Now they're married to each other. So Miles is my brother in law. He's my brother, Eddie." She told him. 

"Ah....." Eddie said understanding before making a face at her. "Simon is homosexual? I....didn't know that." He said making the face. 

Ash just smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, well he wasn't before he met Miles. He had no interest in anyone whatsoever for a long time. Even for women. My...mom ruined it for him. He couldn't really.....see anything in women because of her. Weird but that's the way it is." She explained before looking at both men. "The Walrider is on our side too. It's been protecting me this whole time since I've been trapped. So if I can't keep anyone in line, it can. It will." 

Waylon looked even more nervous. "Th-the Walrider? Um....are you sure? I heard it's uncontrollable." He said nervously. 

"It is. But it also chooses who it listens to. And there's a piece of it inside me right now." Ash said looking down at her belly. 

"N-no.....it's not there anymore." Waylon said nervously and received a surprised look. "I....uh, saw it come out when you...were busy. It flew right past me. I think....I heard it say something about a new host. It had to join with the rest of the swarm. And...uh, we gotta be careful. I've....heard gunshots out there." 

Ash froze as she heard that before she gripped Eddie's hand and now rushed forward, pausing to grab Waylon's hand at the same time. She ended up dragging both of them behind her, much to their unease of even being near each other. 

But nonetheless, Ash lead both out of their space and rushed through the halls. She felt anxiety raising up again. 

Who had been shooting? 

Rushing through the halls, Ash, Eddie and Waylon, who was having a hard time because of his injured leg, hirried through the halls to the upper levels. They did look out the windows as they went and did see that dawn was breaking. 

But....the chapel.....it was on fire too. 

All three finally made it to the main lobby and went down the flight of stairs, seeing the main doors were wide open. 

They were free and it made Ash smile as she lead the two straight for them. 

They were free. 

They were....... walking right into a trap. 

Ash, Eddie and Waylon froze in alarm when they stepped outside the main doors, horror now on their faces as soon as they saw the main drive way had patients down on their knees, hands folded behind their heads. 

All of her new friends she had made too. 

Frank and the Twins were there, still alive but not looking happy because standing above them with guns to their heads were Murkoff soldiers. 

Even Miles was there, hands locked behind his head and he looked right at Ash as she stood with Waylon and Eddie. His eyes.....were black as night and he was wincing a little because there was a shrill alarm sounding around them. 

There were Murkoff Tactical Soldiers all over the yard with guns now trained on them and the three additions before more came up right behind them, pointing guns. 

Jeremy Blaire was among the Murkoff soldiers, smirking dangerously as he sat in a wheelchair, getting his leg bandaged up. 

"Well, there you are! I was hoping you were dead but....I guess this works too!" He called all too cheerfully. 

The next moment, Ash, Eddie and Waylon were shoved to their knees with Frank and the Twins, hands cuffed behind their backs. They groaned from pain as their knees hit pavement but they couldn't fight. 

Not with guns on them. 

With a triumphant grin, Blaire limped closer to them, his eyes only on Ash as she looked over at Miles, who looked back. 

Miles looked horrible. 

He was in pain and she saw it. She also noticed that he had multiple gunshot wounds to his chest that was bleeding red but also black. He was wincing at the shrill sound that even she heard and it made her wince. 

Something had happened to him. He had been shot but he was still alive. 

How?

"Looks like you know the new host for the Walrider, bitch." Blaire said ignoring the snarl he got from Eddie. 

Ash looked wide eyed at him and then at Miles, who looked weakly back at her. She felt as if her heart was shattering. She didn't understand. She didn't understand how he became the new host, nor why the Walrider wasn't going rampant with the threat all around them. 

"Ya hear that sound?" Blaire sneered as he cupped a hand to his ear in a mocking. "That is a high pitched sonic disruptor that affects the Walrider. It's how we contain it. The swarm doesn't like that sound. It actually disrupts the nanobots. That's what you were wondering, right? Yeah, Rudolph Wernicke came up with that. Before the Walrider chose its new host and then ripped him and several tact team members to shreds for shooting the new host. Killed quite a lot of soldiers before we turned on the disruptor." He said sneering. 

Ash turned a dark look onto him as he stood over her. She hated this man. She hated him so much. She wanted him dead. Now. 

But with so many soldiers armed to the teeth with guns, it would be foolish to try and kill him. 

Blaire sneered at her as he bent over her. "Guess what, bitch. Game over. You've lost. Murkoff won. And every single one of your little pet patients will be dead. You will be dead. I've had enough of you." He growled before swinging a fist and railing her across the face, making her scream in pain. 

Eddie snarled and tried to get up to come to her defense but so much like what happened to Kyle that night, he was shoved down to the ground, his face now smashed against concrete as a soldier or five held him down from thrashing. 

Ash just cried out in pain as she hit the ground. She saw that even the Twins were looking outraged. Frank looked angry. 

Miles was shaking violently as the rage was in his black eyes. He was shaking so bad as he tried to fight against his restraints and the sound that practically paralyzed him. 

"Start shooting patients!" Blaire ordered now pointing at the guards. "Save these ones for last." He motioned to the ones that Ash loved the most. "They get to watch me beat the fucking shit out of her one last time." He even sneered at Eddie, who was snarling in rage as he tried to fight the guards off of him. "Gluskin....he dies before her. He gets to watch me fuck his wife one last time." 

Ash tried to move, away now, tears in her eyes as she started to crawl away. 

But Blaire grabbed her by the legs and yanked her back towards him, now moving to straddle her. 

There were roars of rage but then cries of surprise as gunshots began and a few patients that Ash didn't know well were shot in the heads. She just looked at Miles and Waylon, who were watching with pain as Blaire was getting on her. 

Her eyes went to Eddie, who snarled and thrashed to break loose from his guards, not caring if he had a gun to his head. 

He looked pained as he looked back at her. 

Blaire was now grabbing her pants and she screamed in rage at him, now trying to attack him. He grabbed her wrists and slammed them down against the pavement with a loud thwack and something cracked in her wrist, causing her to shriek in pain. 

He broke her wrist. 

And he ignored the threats from the patients that wanted to stop him. 

But he didn't ignore the gunshot that dropped a Murkoff soldier right next to him. 

All activities stopped as they looked at the dead Murkoff soldier before another gunshot dropped another one. 

All whipped around towards the tree lines around the entire entrance before freezing as a single man stood there pushing past the gate, glaring with black as night eyes as he readied his rifle again to fire at the next soldier.

Ash felt her breath catch as she saw him. A small smile formed on her face as she saw him. She felt the entire glee shoot straight up when she saw her brother. 

"Simon!" She cried happily.


	24. Death Comes Knocking

Simon Peacock did not look like he used to when he first joined Murkoff and Mount Massive. 

Before the whole mess with the Asylum, Simon used to be a very handsome man. He used to have dark blonde hair, cut military style and he used to have dark blue eyes. He used to have a strong, manly face. He used to be well built and very strong.

He used to be a friendly man, had a good smile on his handsome face. He used to be kind of a jokester, even if he was stern and fierce. 

He was still stern and fierce but he was not the same any more. 

Now.....after his experiences with Murkoff, he was not the same. 

The man that came pushing into the grounds of the Asylum was not the same Simon Peacock as Jeremy Blaire remembered. 

Simon Peacock was still a very strong looking man but he was heavily scarred around the right side of his face and neck. He didn't have hair on his head anymore because of his scars. His head were so bad with scars that it resembled a skull now, barely covered in skin but healed over muscle. As was the rest of his body that was hidden a very dark blue, almost black suit.

But nonetheless, what Frank had called him once, Death Walking, it was true.

And this Death was pissed off. 

Especially as he took another shot off on another Murkoff soldier, shooting him between the eyes and sending brains splattering on the ground. 

Immediately, Murkoff soldiers raised their guns to shoot back. They were being shot at and the instinct to fire back rose quickly. 

Unfortunately, before they could begin firing, Simon raised a hand and made a signal and an explosion of gunfire began from right behind him, shooting right past him as a hundred soldiers ran from the trees and through the gates. 

"Everyone, down!" Ash found herself scream as she twisted around from under Blaire as he even he ducked and covered his head. She looked right at her patients, who dropped down immediately, pressing their selves down as hard as they could against the concrete. 

Some patients weren't fast enough but Frank and the twins, Miles and Waylon immediately dropped down to avoid getting shot. 

Blaire was trying to scramble away on his belly but Ash growled as she twisted towards him a swung a fist to hit him in the leg where she had sliced him before. She felt the satisfaction of hearing him scream before as he just curled up into a ball to clutch his leg. 

Not a second later, Eddie was covering Ash with his body, to avoid her getting shot. Not that had he had to because the soldiers on Simon's sides seemed to be very good sharpshooters. 

Their firing never came close to her or her patients. 

But nonetheless, Murkoff soldiers were being cut down fast and they were not nearly as good of shots as the VIRALeaks soldiers were. 

It did not take long for Jeremy Blaire to be the only one still alive. 

And when he finally got over the pain in his leg, he looked up to see Death Walking standing over him, glaring like his gaze would kill him. 

"F-fuck......Simon, think about this." Blaire said in terror as he tried to back away but ended up against someone's legs. He had only to glance up to see the Twins now blocking his escape, looking like they were going to kill him their selves. 

A VIRALeaks soldier was now uncuffing all of them, and allowing them to stand but not without being guarded. They weren't aiming at the Mount Massive patients but the patients had enough sense to not act up with the soldiers around them. 

Black eyes just glared down at Blaire and Simon merely motioned to the machine that was emitting the sound that bothered the Walrider. 

It was shut off and a staticky snarl erupted from Miles as the Walrider immediately emerged from its host, looking demonic as it rose above him. It did not move to rip into Blaire though, especially when Simon held up a hand towards it. It just hovered in the air above Miles, spitting and hissing. 

Ash stood up with Eddie's help, sharing a smile with him before rushing over to her brother, who didn't look at her at all as he just held out an arm to receive her embrace. 

"Si-Simon!" She cried as she buried her face into his rocknhard chest. 

"Next time I tell you to not break the fucking rules, you better listen to me." Simon merely said almost coldly but still glared down at Blaire, who had his hands raised in surrender. 

Ash just smiled as she wiped her now flooded eyes but shook her head. "I know, I know. Don't be a hero." She said emotionally. She hugged him again before backing away. "Um, Simon, I.....I'm not going to lie though. I don't regret it." 

Simon merely tilted his head to her, his eyes flicking to her. He looked dead emotionless however. But he did frown when Ash reached out for Eddie, who very slowly reached for her hand and allowed her to pull him close to her. 

The black eyes narrowed only slightly. 

"Please tell me you're kidding, Koala Bear." A mere growl erupted from him. 

Ash smiled faintly but shook her head as she raised her left hand and showed him the wedding ring. "It's okay, Simon. You're wrong about him. I have everything I need to prove it. I know where his files are. I've heard it from him. It's sound evidence. Just like we argued about before I came here." She said softly. 

That made a few frown as they looked between brother and sister. 

Eddie was one as he looked at Ash with confusion. He didn't understand that one. 

Ash turned to him and smiled faintly. "Eddie, I got something to tell you. Everything I've ever told you is true. Including my feelings for you. I am a journalist but I'm also an investigator. I came across your file a few years ago so I did know about you. Even before I came here." She told him. "I came to Mount Massive Asylum, knowing you were here. Everything I went through, it was a part of the plan."

"Plan?" It was Waylon who asked as he rubbed his wrists. 

Simon was the one to nod as he turned his deadly look back onto Blaire, who was listening hard and looking confused. "When I first joined Murkoff, I was undercover for VIRALeaks. I was suppose to investigate everything going on. I even fit in very well, taking on the pure appearance of a Murkoff Head of Security. I was to locate their developing weapon." He tilted his head towards the Walrider. "And report on it. Problem was, I was caught trying to smuggle Billy Hope out. I was trying to save him from this Hell when he didn't want to be saved. Ended up in the morphogenetic engine, myself." He growled before a cold smirk formed on his face. "Bigger problem was, I was the first Host for the Walrider. And it helped me escape. Ain't that right, Jeremy?" He asked before raising his arms. 

A darkness surrounded his very body and a black smoke seemed to seep right off of him. 

A Walrider rose from his very body, raising with loud crackling pops of static. This one.....looked very demonic and it made all of the patients still alive step back in surprise. 

Blaire just stared up at Simon with shock and rage as he saw the Walrider and he even jerked his head around when Miles' Walrider rose up. "Holy fuck....." he said fearfully. 

"When I escaped with the Walrider 1.0, Murkoff had to start over again to create a new Walrider. I took all files on all patients of Mount Massive Asylum with me." Simon growled and he spoke with the Walrider. 

It didn't matter if anyone had been in the Engine or not. 

The Walrider spoke with Simon, even as it turned it's attention onto Miles' Walrider and the two swarm looked at each other. 

"My little sister read the files. She looked into everyone's history. She was always facinated by the criminally insane. She always believed she knew how to help them." Simon continued to say darkly. "I didn't like it but I didn't stop her. She looked into your file, Gluskin, and she was facinated with your story. She didn't believe for a fucking second that you were the killer at all. She even swore she could clear your name." 

Eddie surprised looked at Ash, who smiled as she stepped closer to him. "I really wanted to get it from you. That's why I asked you for your full story. It's why I tried to help you that night. I knew it was you. I wanted to get you out to prove to Simon that I was right. And I was right. You were innocent until Murkoff messed you up." She then reached up and touched his face, smiling. "I didn't count on falling for you though." 

Eddie softened and then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "You always believed in me." He said softly. 

Ash nodded as she pressed her face into his chest. "Everything I said was true. I didn't lie about anything. I just didn't say why I really was here. I was to get the story, get the evidence, find one patient to break out for an eye witness. But I saw you. My favorite Mount Massive patient from all of Simon's stories about this place." She said before turning a very dark look towards Blaire. "Being raped over and over wasn't a part of the plan though."

Blaire stiffened before looking fearfully up at Simon as he turned his black eyes back to him. "Si-Simon, think about this. We.....we, uh, used to be friends." He said in terror. 

"Oh, I've thought about it, Jeremy. I've thought about how you fucking back stabbed me. You found out what I was doing here." Simon growled now stepping closer to him, which made Blaire start crawling back and this time the Twins let him. "You told me you would help me get Billy out. You said you were tired of Murkoff and what they were doing. No, you fucking lied to me. Reported me to the old man and set me up to be caught." Simon continued to growl as he backed Blaire up in his terror. "You did this to me." He added motioning to his whole head. 

Ash just felt a satisfied smile form on her face as she leaned against Eddie, who wore his own. Every one of the patients did. They were going to enjoy this. 

"Simon, please, please, I'm sorry!" Blaire now was the one begging. "I didn't....I didn't mean to! Murkoff! They're the real enemy! I'll give you all names! I know the locations of all of the other facilities! Please!" 

"Don't you fucking get it, Jeremy!" Simon snapped as he now bent over Blaire, making him freeze. "I already have everything I need! I got the new Walrider right where I need it to be! Against you and Murkoff! And right now, you're going to stand the fuck up! You fucked with my sister and you killed my dad, Kyle! Now get up!"

Blaire flinched but scrambled to his feet with a lot of difficulty because of his injury. He glanced around and noticed how all of the VIRALeak soldiers formed a circle around him and Simon.

Simon just glared at him before he tilted his head up to look at the larger version of the Walrider, which growled but did detach itself from him, now moving to hover above them. 

"Now," Simon growled as he reached behind his back, pulling two knives from a hidden sheath and threw one at Blaire's feet, who looked at it with fear. "Pick it up." 

There was a hesitance from Blaire but he scrambled to do it. 

Simon glared at him before flipping the knife in his hand and held it out towards someone else. "Now, you gonna fucking fight him. You fucked my sister, his wife, apparently the woman he loves and she loves him, so now ya gonna die fighting for your miserable, pathetic life." He finished with a growl. 

To everyone's surprise, he was holding out the knife to Eddie Gluskin. 

Even Eddie was surprised as he stood there, looking at the offered knife. He hadn't been expecting that. He even glanced down at Ash, who smiled warmly up at him. 

"Go on, love. Take it." Ash said now releasing him and stepping back. 

Eddie looked bemused for a moment before he stepped forward and took the knife from Simon, meeting those black eyes with his cool blue ones. 

"Once you kill him, you and me are going to have a real long talk about my sister." Simon said with a growl before he turned around, taking Ash's arm and pullingnher to the side. 

They joined the circle of soldiers and patients, allowing Eddie to turn and face Jeremy Blaire. 

Blaire looked stunned. He had been expecting to face Simon. He knew he would have died pretty quickly but with Eddie Gluskin, he knew that the Groom of Mount Massive Asylum would draw it out to be painful. 

"F-fuck......" he whimpered. 

A slow, manical smile spread out on Eddie's face as he turned to face Blaire, his cool blue eyes surrouned with broken blood vessels glinted as they looked right into Blaire's. 

"Oh, I do believe I will enjoy this." Eddie said with very dark tone to his voice. 

Simon and Ash stood with Frank and the Twins, Miles and Waylon as they watched Eddie and Blaire starting to circle each other with blades tight in their hands. 

"Ain't gonna make a lick of difference if I tell you that you have to divorce him, ain't it?" Simon growled towards Ash. 

Ash smiled but shook her head as she folded her arms. "Nope. I'm not leaving him. Sure, our wedding was forced but...I love him, Simon. Always did find him the most facinating one." She said softly. 

"You're kind of glowing too. Walrider said that it could hear something from you. He didn't knock you up, did he?" Simon asked now folding his arms. 

"Yep. He did. You're going to be an uncle, Jules." Ash said bemused. 

"Damn." 

She laughed at his remark.

Blaire tried to strike first, swinging the knife at Eddie, who easily danced away, grinning rather wickedly. He was now trying to rush at the most dangerous patient, trying to swing the knife to land any hit. 

Eddie moved away, holding up his own but the grin never left his face as he allowed Blaire to strike him. He was enjoying the torment and rage on Blaire's face as he began frantically swinging at him.

It was a dance with Death at this point and everyone knew that Eddie was just playing with Blaire. 

"You, stupid son of a bitch! Hold still!" Blaire snarled as hencharged at Eddie. 

Again, Eddie danced away from his swings before he finally lashed out and slid his own blade against the back of Blaire's arm, making him scream as a line of deep red blood began pouring out from under the now cut suit.

Blaire screamed in pain now gripping his arm that was dripping with blood. He looked fearfully at Eddie, who stood up smiling at him almost smug. "The bitch isn't worth it, Gluskin!" He snapped now egging the man on into rage. 

A dangerous glint did form in Eddie's eyes as his smilednfaded just a little bit, becoming tighter. "That's where you're wrong, Blaire." He said before it was his turn to charge. 

Blaire tried swinging at him, making a slash towards Eddie's throat, who ducked under and sank his blade right into his middle, closest to his pelvis. 

A death strike, Ash realized. She remembered what Eddie had said about that vital point. She remembered he said that Blaire would bleed out fast but it would hurt, a lot.

Nonetheless, Eddie yanked his blade, shoving Blaire down as he screamed in pain and fell down, landing on one of the dead Murkoff soldiers. He stood up tall, head raised. 

"That's for Ash. And what you did to her. You will never touch her again." The Groom growled before turning his back to Blaire and looking at Ash. He met her smile with his own before starting towards her. 

Suddenly, there was a gunshot that cracked in the air, making Ash flinch, Simon growl as his eyes flashed dangerously. 

And Eddie stumbled as a spot in his chest exploded outwards as the bullet went through him. 

Blaire had picked up a gun from the dead Murkoff soldier and shot the Groom from the back. He had shot him point blank in the back with his last dying strength, even as he laid dying. 

Eddie hit the ground and Ash screamed as she raced forward to him though stumbling to stop when Blaire turned the gun towards her next. 

Before he could pull the trigger, a massive black cloud of nanobots swooped past Ash and snatched Blaire up into the air, making him scream as the older version of the Walrider began thrashing him around the air. 

The second Walrider shot up into the air, snarling and hissing right with the other as they both joined together to throw Blaire around in the air before grabbing each arm and yanked him apart. 

Blaire had screamed but it died fast as he practically exploded in the air with his body parts raining down onto the ground. 

Ash ran over to Eddie, who was groaning in pain as he clutched his chest where a dangerous amount of blood was spilling out. Her eyes filling with tears as she picked up his head, looking at where he had been shot. 

"Eddie!" Ash cried as she looked at just how dangerous the wound looked. She knew it was a death shot. He was bleeding out. Her heart felt like it was shattering as she saw even blood was spilling from his lips. "No, no, no, no! Please! Stay with me!" She begged. 

Eddie shuddered as he laid in her lap, shaking in pain. "Ash....." he gasped before clutching her hand. "I'm sorry, Darling. I should have waited until he bled out before turning my back....." he groaned as his body shook. 

Ash had tears going down her cheeks as she clutched to him. "Don't you dare die on me, Edward Gluskin! You're going to be a father to our baby! You're going to be better than your father! We're going to get married again so that everyone can be there and we can do it all over again! We're going to have our baby and live together and love one another until we die old!" She cried. 

Eddie was shaking as he just looked up at her, tears in his own eyes. "Th-thank you, Darling. Thank you for....being here. For believing in me. For loving me....." he said and his breathing was getting harsher. 

He was dying and they all knew it. 

Ash was shaking as her chest tightened. She could feel her heart breaking as she was watching him grasping for air and life. She was watching him die and it hurt. 

But a hand suddenly dropped down over the bullet wound, slapping pretty hard that made Eddie hiss in pain. 

Ash looked up at her brother, who bent down beside her and covered the wound with his hand. She scowled at him for being rough with her dying husband. 

"You're not fucking going anywhere, Eddie. We gotta still have a talk." Simon growled before it grew very dark around him as his Walrider swooped down, surrounding him and Eddie, now moving over the wound. 

Eddie gave a groan of pain as the Walrider covered his wound and even seemed to be pulling itself into his body. He clutched to Ash's hand as he just felt pain as the Walrider began its work to fixing him. 

Ash could just sit there, clutching to her husband as she watched as the Walrider began the repairs to Eddie's wound. She sniffed softly as she smiled faintly as she ran her fingers through Eddie's hair, meeting his pained gaze. 

Either way, even through his pain, Eddie smiled back as he laid there.


	25. Death's Squad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexual content

"You press that button, there's no going back, Mr. Park." Simon said as he stood in the dark room, looking over at Waylon Park as he sat at the laptop before him.

"There's enough hard evidence in that video file to make a world of shit for our friends at Murkoff. You got out of Mount Massive alive, and we've done everything in our power to cover your tracks, but our enemies are twitchy and malicious corporate paranoiacs with resources you're too moral to imagine." Simon went on telling Waylon as he looked at the video evidence he had compiled together from the video camera he had stolen and used for his entire experience in Mount Massive Asylum. He even compiled Miles' video evidence together with his for more convicting evidence that Rudolph Wernicke had not been dead but alive and to discredit him as a mad Nazi scientist. 

"You won't be the only target. Anyone you care about, your wife, your children, they'll be nothing to Murkoff but ways to hurt you. I need you to understand the bridge you're crossing here. You will do irrevocable damage to the company, you might even get close to something like justice. But. Once you click upload, your life is over. Everyone you love is fucked. But it's the right thing to do. Is hurting Murkoff worth that much to you?" 

Waylon sat there for a good moment, his finger hovering over the enter key to upload the video. He did look troubled as he sat there. 

This was something dangerous he was getting himself and his family into. 

Murkoff would know who he was once the video went viral. His name was in the video and it was hard to scrub it out without corrupting anything. They would know him and try to harm him for being an insider against them.

It would mean they would try and hunt him and his family down. 

But.....

It was the right thing to do. 

Murkoff might have been using dangerous people in their experiments but they had been hurting them and even innocent ones. There had been patients in the Asylum that hadn't deserved those things being done to them.

It even had evidence that a lot of the patients had been framed for their crimes. Even Eddie Gluskin. Waylon had found his file and recorded it. He had even found a secret document of the truth behind his crimes. 

A doctor had uncovered the truth about Eddie Gluskin and written it down only for it to be locked away. So not only did they have that file, but the verbal word of Eddie Gluskin's story from himself. 

As it was, all evidence about The Groom Killers were being put together in a book by Ashton and it was scheduled to be published in the coming months. She had worked hard on uncovering the truth. She had even gone to that small town where Eddie was from and wriggled the truth from neighbors. 

They had known about his abuse but they were too afraid of Stephen and Andrew Gluskin to come forward. There even had been an eyewitness who finally came forward about the Gluskin Brothers threatening the very people of the Iowa town about shutting up. 

Even when they had been murdered by Eddie in pure self defense, they had been scared. 

But the truth came out. 

And therefore, the truth about Murkoff had to come out. 

So Waylon Park hit enter and began the video upload to send the incriminating video evidence to go viral. 

Once he closed the laptop, he looked up at Simon, who for the first time in a long time, smiled at him. "I know me and my family will be in danger but I got your Death Squad to back me up, don't I? To protect us?" Park asked as he pushed back from the desk. 

Simon smiled but nodded as he folded his hands together. "We'll assign you and your family to a safehouse where you'll be guarded by Frank Manera." He chuckled when Waylon grimaced. "Don't worry. His therapy is coming on strong and he's on a strict organ donations diet. He's lucky we allow him to eat any human organ donations as it is. He's not allowed to harm anyone else unless they mean to threaten you and your family." He reassured Waylon. 

Shaking his head, Waylon stood and moved around the table to join Simon into walking out of the darkened room. "How's everyone else? The Twins?" He asked. 

"They're annoying with their choppy sentences but they're well. They refuse to leave Ash and Eddie unguarded. They won't be assigned to anyone else." Simon said chuckling. 

"Ash and Eddie.....wow. it's been, what? Four months now? How are they doing?" Waylon asked and grinned when Simon groaned now sinking his hand into his palm. "Still acting like their on their honeymoon?" 

"Ya have no idea." Simon growled. "Four months pregnant and she's got hormones all over the place. I've made the mistake of walking in them once. Didn't know she was that flexible." He added with a shudder. 

Waylon laughed. "Ah, they're in love, Simon. Leave them alone. Eddie healing nicely? How's his therapy going?" He asked. 

"Surprisingly well. He gets along with his therapist and it helps that Ash is working with him daily now. He's definitely a new man, Park. Surprises even me. And he's been going nuts ovwr his new opening tailor shop." Simon said and even grinned about it. "He's definitely excited that he gets his shop that he always wanted." 

"Work doesn't get in the way?" Waylon asked warmly. 

"Sometimes it does, but he's determined enough to help end Murkoff because they are threatening her for her book release." Simon said though smiling. "The babies are doing well too. They finally did an Ultrasound scan to see them. Still can't believe Gluskin nailed her with three of them. Should be interesting when they find their hands full with the triplets." He even snickered at the very thought.

Waylon laughed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Yeah as if twins weren't bad enough. My boys were already hard enough to deal with. Can't imagine how triplets are going to be though." He stated. 

"Eddie's excited though. Three kids all at once. I don't like him but seeing the look he gets when he looks at the ultrasound pictures, it's pretty nice to see on his face." Simon said warmly before looking to see his own husband walking over to them. "Hey, Miles." 

Miles smiled back as he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Simon's lips before nodding to Waylon. "We got one. A story came out about a dead pregnant woman in an Arizona desert. A news helicopter went down and some guy and his wife, Blake and Lynn Langermann went missing last night. It's a Murkoff experiment zone. A hot zone plant is set off to explode to cover it up in 48 hours." He told Simon. 

Simon turned on his dead serious look and nodded. "All right then. Gather the Death's Squad together and get them out before the plant explodes. I want their video footage for what Murkoff is doing there." He stated. 

"I'll get Frank and the Twins first. Better give Gluskin some time. I walked by their apartment and it sounds like they're going at it again." Miles said snickering. 

Simon groaned making a face. "I swear to God that he's trying to push more kids in her on top of the triplets." He grumbled and both Miles and Waylon laughed. 

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Eddie! Um! Yes, right there!" Ash cried as she laid on her back, her eyes tightly shut as she was being thrust into. 

Eddie angled his hips to the angle that made her cry the loudest and just pushed hard as he thrust hard. He was groaning very loudly as his muscles tensed tightly.

"Oh!" Ash practically screamed as she tightened her bare legs around his waist, using them to make him move faster. 

"Erm!" Eddie groaned as his thighs slapped against hers, his back arching as he was feeling his peak coming. He found his hand slid right under bare bottom to move her hips up just a little more before he found the spot he favored as he slid in and out rapidly. 

"Oh!" Ash screamed in pure ecstasy as she jerked her hips right into his with a wet smack as he jerked into her. 

Groaning loud and long, Eddie stilled his thrusts as he spilled his fifth load into her. 

And then they collapsed onto the bed, panting and gasping as they were covered in layers of sweat and other fluids but satisfied smiles on their faces as they laid side by side, trying to catch their breaths. 

Ash reached down and rubbed her swollen belly, making sure the triplets were doing all right before shenturned and pressed her bare body against his, resting her head on his shoulder. She met his eyes with a happy smile as she reached over and lightly touched the scar on his chest where he had been shot four months before. 

"I.....huff, I love you, Ash." Eddie said panting as he reached over and kissed her sweaty brow before running his hand down her side until he rest it over her belly. "How are they doing?" 

"Fi-fine, Love. They're fine. Still can't believe you got me three of them. And this rate, we're going to end up with ten of them." Ash said snickering. 

Eddie just grinned before sliding down just to kiss her belly. "I don't think I'll mind." He said in amusement. 

"You're not the one who is going to have to push them out." Ash said smartly but laughed either way. 

Eddie just smiled as he covered her again and kissed her before he moved back, pulling her with until she was on top. "You're turn to do the work. I'm exhausted." He said but grinned. 

Ash snorted but moved to sit up on his lap, feeling him poking at her entrance again. "You're so insatiable." She said before she slowly began rocking into him, teasing him. 

"Um....." Eddie groaned at the teasing friction she was causing. He moved his hands to her hips before shifting her to hold still so he could just slide right up, making him cry out softly as he slid back into her. "And you are a minx for teasing me." He groaned. 

Ash sighed as her eyes fluttered shut as she placed her hands on his chest and began rocking slowly, feeling him sliding against her insides. She moaned softly as she rocked back and forth and even side to side, makingnhim gasp as his head pressed back against the pillow. 

And then suddenly she had to stop when someone pounded on their door, making their eyes shoot open. 

"All right, fuck birds! Quit fucking each other! Gluskin, mission time!" They heard Miles bellow from thenother side. 

Groaning, Ash and Eddie growled as they shot dsrk looks towards their apartment door. 

"I swear to God, he always does that on purpose. Wait until we rile each other up and then interrupts." Eddie growled. 

Ash just laughed before giving her hips one more rock, making him gasp before rolling off of him to lay on her back. "Just hurry it up before Simon is the one who comes knocking. When you get back, we can try some stuff from the Arabian Nights Sutra book." She said grinning devilishly and winked at him. 

"Oh, god. I love you." Eddie said giving her anhard kiss before climbing out of bed to head to their bathroom to cleanup. 

It was time for the next chapter to begin. 

They were getting closer to shutting down Murkoff for good. They had a few more things to do. They still needed to find the Murkoff CEO and the Founder of Murkoff but with the former Mount Massive patients working with VIRALeaks as some of their best insiders and soldiers, it was a matter of time before it was all over. 

Both Ash and Eddie couldn't wait before they really could begin their lives together without a fear of Murkoff coming after them. 

It would be worth it in the end.


End file.
